Meet the Texas Farmer Taking On the Keystone Pipeline
by Anna Simonton
While the State Department mulls whether or not to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada is already gearing up to start pumping tar sands from Alberta, Canada, to the gulf coast of Texas in January of next year.
The Canadian fossil fuels giant recently announced that it will inject an initial 3 million barrels of oil into the newly completed southern leg of the pipeline over the coming weeks. Activists are calling on regulators to halt the process, citing inspections that revealed numerous flaws in the infrastructure. While that could stall the project, a few pending court battles with Texas landowners are presenting a broader challenge to TransCanada’s plans.
One of those landowners is East Texas farmer Julia Trigg-Crawford, who in November petitioned to appeal a ruling in TransCanada’s favor. If her appeal is accepted, her case will be the first on this issue to be heard by the Texas Supreme Court.
The trouble for Crawford started in 2008, when TransCanada offered her $7,000 for a lifetime easement across her pasture. This would give the company complete control over the land without owning it outright. She consulted with her father and siblings, all of whom have a stake in the farm. They decided to refuse.
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http://billmoyers.com/2013/12/19/meet-the-texas-farmer-taking-on-the-keystone-pipeline/