My heart sank when I first saw a map showing that pipeline crossing the Sandhills and the Niobrara River. A leak there would be devastating.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

If only following laws was a principle he adhered to, and not just a political expedient. ( Same criticism also applies to Bush who failed to enforce the border laws.)

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

A leak on my place would be devastating to me, but Obama didn't GAS about us in Oklahoma or Texas, states he didn't expect to win anyway. Typical politician thinking ONLY of votes for HIMSELF and the hell with everyone else.

As devastating as derailed, oil-filled rail cars bursting into flames taking out whole small towns.....as is now happening?

Larry....

Check it out. If you know the names behind this group you will see that it has no political agenda except that which is claims. If there is a problem on your land this bunch might be able to do you more good than the Texas Railroad or Texas Land Commission ever could.

A large group of landowners in Azle recently met with the Texas Land Commission about earthquakes in their area and they got nothing but a bunch of stall, stall, stall, so they formed their own group to deal with the injection wells they think are causing earthquakes where there have never been earthquakes before. I hear they are getting some things done where the state seems to have no interest in pursuing.

So who knows? This bunch might be worth looking into.

Texas Pipeline Watch | Citizens for Safe Communities

It would appear () that oil is tail that wags the dog in Texas. Eminent Domain? It is what I (loosely) say it is? Question though. Are those whose land is taken through eminent domain entitled to more than up front compensation? Do they get fees or royalties per bbl transported? Is there any future value of estimated income added into the land value in arriving at the forced sale price? Would outright leasing to pipeline owners be a better deal for the farm owners?

Sure are a helluva lot of pipelines criss-crossing the land. I didn't realize how many thousands of miles of pipeline are actually in service. Pipelines would seem to be the best choice among unattractive alternatives.

The network of crude oil pipelines in the U.S. is extensive. There are approximately 55,000 miles of crude oil trunk lines (usually 8 - 24 inches in diameter) in the U.S. that connect regional markets. The map below shows some of the major crude oil trunk lines in the U.S.
Crude Oil Pipelines


There are approximately 95,000 miles nationwide of refined products pipelines. Refined products pipelines are found in almost every state in the U.S., with the exception of some New England states. These refined product pipelines vary in size from relatively small 8 to 12 inch diameter lines up to 42 inches in diameter.
Refined Products Pipelines


Natural gas is found in many of the same areas of the country as crude oil and is collected through small gathering systems and moved to gas processing plants, where impurities are removed.

There are about 20,000 miles of natural gas gathering lines. The gathering lines move natural gas to large cross-country transmission pipelines. Including both onshore and offshore lines there are approximately 278,000 miles of natural gas transmission lines.

That's a lot of maintenance to keep up with.

A short history of how pipeline companies came to have so much power:

(I found out about this when I was researching something else)

When the first oil well in the US came in a refinery was built eight miles away. As luck would have it the best site for the refinery was flat and downhill from the well, so the oil would just flow once a pipeline was built.

But there was a problem. A railroad ran across the right of way the pipeline needed to follow and the railroad would not let the line cross since the railroad wanted the business of hauling the oil.

So the oil company built a line up to the tracks, built a storage tank, and had the oil loaded into barrels on wagons. The oil was then hauled across the track, poured back into another tank, and then continued downhill via a pipeline.

Then politics got involved and laws were passed to give pipelines the right to go where they wanted so they could not be held up by railroads or anything else.

And it is still that way today.

Should it be? Some say yes and some say no; and some they just don't care. But one thing is for sure and that is it would cost a great deal more to build a line if they did not have this power.

Pipeline is safer than truck, air, barge or rail. Cheaper too.

NO! The landowner gets whatever penny ante compensation he/she can get up front and it's OVER! They come through your place like God Almighty. Thereafter they OWN a strip 75 feet wide and can come in and do whatever they want, whenever they want on that strip FOREVER AFTER!! If they decide they want to dig it up to fix a leak, they just open the gate, drive across making as many ruts as they wish, tear everything all to hell and leave. If they choose to leave that hole open until hell freezes over, that's their prerogative. If you are REALLY lucky, they MIGHT close gates behind them to keep the cows from being all over the road, or they might not. If you lose a calf in the hole that they left open, tough shlt.

Not to mention you can never build anything on that land other than an asphalt parking lot and even that might get shot down since they have the last say on what you can build there.

A pretty rotten deal all the way around.

I was curious about the Quebec oil train explosion since I thought crude oil wasn't that explosive. I just ran across this explanation:

https://bangordailynews.com/2013/09/11/news/nation/report-oil-in-quebec-train-explosion-mislabeled-was-violently-explosive/

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

One day I was laying-out survey line in southern Texas for an oil exploration company. We came to a fence and across the fence was a big Santa Gertrudis bull with a broken leg. We pulled-up stakes and flagging faster than you can say, "tort". Texas landowners are a litigious lot and the Texas courts take private property rights pretty seriously.

Bot, what you say about Texas private property laws was true in the past, but no longer. The imminent domain and homestead laws have been watered down terribly since the second pipeline came through my place in 1990. I have dealt with three pipelines since then and it has been quite different.

I wouldn't wish a pipeline on ANYONE! Not even the folks on here that hate me so much.

For what it is worth. And conditioned by my being new here. Probably few here hate others. Disagree, sure. Strongly sometimes, sure. Relax and enjoy the diversity! Take what you want and leave the rest

are you sure?