TransCanada will fight order to halt Keystone XL work

Houston Chronicle ^ | 12/11/2012 | Zain Shauk

[Abathar]

A judge in Nacogdoches County has issued a temporary restraining order to halt work on the Keystone XL pipeline, according to court documents.

Attorneys for Trans-Canada, which is building the pipeline, said they will fight the order at a hearing set for Thursday and do not expect it to thwart construction of the pipeline, which has drawn opposition from environmentalists and some landowners in its path.

[Abathar]

Must have shopped long and hard for a judge in Texas to agree that oil isn't oil.

[j. earl carter]

I'm guessing this guy is just using the envirowackos to pay his legal expenses to go on a fishing expedition. It's costing him nothing and he may very well be able to get TransCanada to pay him a quick 50 or 60k to go away. I don't really see the downside for the land owner.(I'd mention litigation reform here, but I'm staying on the topic)

That one business law class I took in college was a long time ago, but I believe that in order to get a contract declared void, you have to be able to show the other party engaged in an intentional misrepresentation of a material fact that you relied upon when agreeing to the contract.

It was public knowledge that the pipeline would be used for the tar sands, and there is no material difference between the tar sands oil and "natural crude": case closed.

[Abathar]

I agree with you, what gets me is a judge is so biased in the case he allowed for the injunction in the first place.

[X-spurt]

This is 99.999% likely to result same as with the twit mermaid's Keystone protest in Wood County.

Texas has thousands of pipelines and very few have been able to stop any pipeline. Before these companies spend millions on ROW and construction you can bet many “pipeline experienced” lawyers have screened every syllable in every contract.

Back when working in pipeline construction, now and then there would be some small landowner who to do nutty things to try and stop the line. Sometimes the pipeline was just PI’d around the tract, but most often a bit more dollars was what the offended property owner needed to not be so offended.

[thackney]

and there is no material difference between the tar sands oil and "natural crude": case closed

While not suggesting this guy has a legitimate claim, there is a very definite material difference in the production from the Canadian Oil Sands from Crude Oil.

The oil companies do not even call it oil. It is bitumen. It cannot be sent through the pipelines without diluting it with something like Naptha or just Natural Gas Condensate. Then it is called Dilbit.

Sometimes it is sent through an Upgrader to create a synthetic crude oil and diesel fuel.

[j. earl carter]

there is a very definite material difference in the production from the Canadian Oil Sands from Crude Oil.

I knew someone would bring that up.

There may be a material difference at the end of the pipeline to the refiner, but there would have to be a difference to the landowner. I suppose that's possible, it could be more poisonous if it leaked or something, but I doubt that's the case.

and yes, I do realize that this is a ridiculous, meaningless, timekilling, absurd point of discussion/debate...

[Ouderkirk]

I'm guessing this guy is just using the envirowackos to pay his legal expenses to go on a fishing expedition.

Nope.... Trans Canada earned $1.4 billion in 2011. Birkshire Hathaway $10.4 Billion in 2011 Trans Canada loses