East Texas landowner wins right to take on Keystone in court; jury trial set April 30

While federal private property bill exempts pipeline, two judicial victories Friday in Texas clear path for Julia Trigg Crawford’s eminent domain challenge

Crawford speaks to supporters at a rally
in Paris, Tx / Reuters, PostMediaNews

Update from IndependentTexans. Read more at the website. Background from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

Note: This story – a classic little guy versus the giant – is being reported all across the country. Rooting for the underdog is an old American (and Texas) tradition – remember The Alamo? We wish small farm owner Ms. Crawford luck in her legal battle against Big Oil.

[ In other news: GOP Aide Jumps Ship Over Women's Health Policy and Fees Climb in Texas, Millions Diverted From Original Purpose to Balance State Budget ]

LAMAR COUNTY, TX – Julia Trigg Crawford's fight to prevent TransCanada from seizing her property scored a big win late last Friday when an appellate court reinstated her temporary restraining order. With confidence renewed, Crawford and groups allied with her cause launched StandWithJulia.com this week to help Crawford raise funds for her April 30th jury trial with TransCanada.

“The support that’s been coming my way from regular folks is just unbelievable,” said Crawford. “But we know TransCanada sees my property as a key battleground and they’re going to come at us with guns blazing, so we have to be ready to defend ourselves.”

Meanwhile, a coalition of organizations in Texas who are backing Crawford is expressing “exasperation” that the “The Property Rights Protection Act,” H.R. 1443, will likely include an exemption for pipelines including Keystone XL. The bill recently passed in US House of Representatives and is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“TransCanada and the Keystone Cushing/Gulf Coast segment are exempt,” stated Calvin Tillman, former mayor of DISH, Texas, “This leaves landowners like Julia Trigg Crawford in Oklahoma and Texas in the lurch, subject to the clutches of TransCanada’s ongoing eminent domain proceedings. But let’s remember that it was the bravery and the tragedy of the Alamo that inspired victory the Battle of San Jacinto. TransCanada’s bullying and lobbying has led to a groundswell of support for Julia and landowners like her, and I think TransCanada should be worried.”

Tillman urged citizens across Texas and America to stand with Julia and the Crawford’s lawsuit by giving to the Crawford Defense Fund.

The reinstatement of Crawford’s temporary restraining order against TransCanada was not the only big news for her case last Friday. The same day the Texas Supreme Court also denied a motion for rehearing in the Denbury-Green pipeline case, subsequently reissuing an opinion that decidedly favors landowners.

The groups maintain that TransCanada has yet to prove its own common carrier status in its case against landowner Julia Trigg Crawford. TransCanada says its T-4 permit issued by the Texas Railroad Commission makes it a common carrier, but the group points to comments from the Railroad Commission itself saying it has no authority to grant common carrier status.

Those interested in helping the Paris landowner can give money to help her cause by visiting the site and donating via paypal or by sending a check to the Crawford Defense Fund at:

Crawford Defense Fund,
PO. Box 155,
Sumner, TX 75486

Contact Ms. Crawford at: crawforddefensefund@gmail.com