Welcome to the Future!
The Railroad Commission is in the midst of controversial rule making about which entities qualify as common carriers, because of last session’s HB 2748.
Texas needs to move its rich oil and gas resources around the state and country. Moving oil and gas to and fro requires traversing land. Land is owned by private individuals who love their private property rights, which makes getting access to build pipelines complicated. In 2013, a bill tried to address this issue. But,many privat…
Hundreds of comments have been received from individuals and entities. Most interestingly, John Adams has shared his two cents on the proposed RRC rule. Who better than a Founding Father and an advisor to the US Constitutional Convention to weigh in on the issue of property rights. [RRC Public Comments]
A Pipeline “ticked off” a cattleman. Said cattleman is President of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Messing with Texans isn’t wise, messing with Texas cattlemen far less than wise. [TSCRA]
Have the requirements set by the Texas Supreme Court in Denbury been met by the RRC rules? We’ll have to let the Courts tell us. The final word will be handed down by the Legislature which will determine how Texas Grows & respects private property rights. [DMN]<...
Naturally, everyone should look to Texas when trying to solve problems. Aljazeera did while forecasting how Pennsylvania will handle pipeline common carrier use of eminent domain. In the last few years, the Texas Supreme Court has been rolling back the power of eminent domain in favor of stronger private property rights. The effects of the Tea Party are pervasive, and private property rights are de rigueur.
Posted ininfrastructure building, pipelines/common carriers, private property rights, railroad commission
Texas RRC Common Carrier Rule Making- Check Mate to the Legislature?
RRC staff recommendations approved this week clarify when a pipeline may call itself a common carrier. It’s a response to the 2013 Legislature’s failed fix, which was publicly killed on a point of order.
This chess game began when a court called into question whether a pipeline was a common carrier. The court thereby restrained the pipeline’s use of eminent domain. It was a huge win for landowners.
When you need land to build pipeline…