Find out the latest in eminent domain news around Texas.
A pipeline poisons the wells in Hill Country
Source: Houston Chronicle
Just as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning to spread throughout Texas, a crew drilling horizontally under the Blanco River hit a void and lost 36,000 gallons of drilling fluid, primarily composed of bentonite clay, into the Trinity Aquifer.
The spill fouled at least six wells that draw water from it, records and interviews indicate. The accident also halted the drilling operation under the Blanco, triggered a state violation notice and likely fines, and set the stage for yet another federal lawsuit targeting the project.
Trump Admin Files Lawsuit Against ‘5,934 Acres of Land, More or Less’ in Order to Build the Wall
Source: Law & Crime
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against several thousand acres of land in South Texas on Monday in an effort to move forward with construction of the controversial and long-stalled border wall.
Presented as a complaint in condemnation, the lawsuit is a typical Department of Justice (DHS) filing used to condemn private property in order for the government to forcibly gain control, access and title when the landowner refuses to sell the real estate in question.
Losing Steam: Texas Bullet Train Project Seeks Federal Help
Source: NewsRadio 740 KTRH
The long-planned, often-controversial Houston-to-Dallas high speed rail project has hit yet another patch of rough tracks. Texas Central, the company behind the project, has touted the fact that it will be fully privately funded and not reliant on tax dollars.
But rising costs and the coronavirus pandemic may have changed that. Faced with struggling equity markets due to the financial downturn in recent months, Texas Central was forced to lay off 28 employees and is now seeking government loans and stimulus money.
