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Officials Seek Federal Regulation on the Entire Trans-Pecos Pipeline

It's no secret that the Trans-Pecos Pipeline has stirred up a lot of controversy. Most recently officials in Brewster County are trying to make sure the contractor is taking the right steps before any further construction.
By Alexa Williams
NewsWest 9

ALPINE: It's no secret that the Trans-Pecos Pipeline has stirred up a lot of controversy. Most recently officials in Brewster County are trying to make sure the contractor is taking the right steps before any further construction.

Both political party chairs in Brewster County are teaming up in hopes to make the entire Trans- Pecos Pipeline an international project instead of just an intrastate project. If they're successful the builders would have to get federal review and approval.

"We felt like the entire pipeline all the way from Waha to the boarder needs to be an international pipeline under federal review as well as any other state requirements they might need," said Mary Bell Lockhart, the Brewster County Democratic Chair.

Lockhart along with Monica McBride, the Republican Chair, sent U.S. Congressman Will Hurd a letter stating their concerns. They're hoping to make the entire pipeline federally regulated.

Right now, only a small portion of the pipeline that would run under the Rio Grande would be considered international.

"The company has claimed that they want to comply with all of the regulations and we think that they're trying to bypass the federal requirements here for a majority of the pipeline," said Lockhart.

The reason for the push is because they say the purpose for the pipeline is to transfer natural gas between the United States and Mexico, which is international. Because of that, Lockhart said energy transfer partners, the contractor of the pipeline, should seek approval beyond the state level. And they're hoping to get Congressman Hurd on their side..

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