Conroe City Council vowed to do everything in its power to stop the construction of a high-pressure natural gas compressor site off Interstate 45, they said could “incinerate” everything nearby if it exploded.
Council members approved a resolution Thursday to support the owners of Bartholet Home Furnishings and their lawsuit to stop the project, which is planned to go up less than 150 feet from their building. The resolution offers a show of support for the owners, but does not signify any legal action.
The Bartholets, who are long-time business owners in Conroe, filed a lawsuit July 23 seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the construction of the site. A hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 29 in the 457th state District Court.
Blackfin Pipeline, built by Austin-based Whitewater Midstream, will transport up to 3.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily from Colorado County to Jasper County in East Texas. It will pass through Austin, Waller, Montgomery, Liberty and Hardin counties and a small portion of northwest Harris County. Four compressor sites are also part of the project, including the one planned for Conroe.
Officials with Blackfin declined to comment on the pending case and have not filed a response to the suit, according to the Montgomery County District Clerk’s Office.
Construction on the Montgomery County portion of a 193-mile intrastate natural gas pipeline started in late 2024.
Council members expressed shock to learn of the project. While the pipeline wasn’t unknown, Councilwoman Marsha Porter said the council was never informed of the compressor site project despite two meetings in 2023 between pipeline officials and former city staff.
Porter served on the council in 2023 with Mayor Jody Czajkoski, Curt Maddux, Howard Wood, Todd Yancy, and Harry Hardman.
“If any one of us had known about this, we would have done everything in our power to stop this compression station,” Porter said during the council's workshop Wednesday. “I am outraged and horrified that the city council was not informed.”
Porter said on July 11, 2024, the council discussed and approved giving a pipeline easement to Blackfin. However, she said no information was shared to the council by staff about the compressor station.
“It was not in our backup information in our (council) packet,” Porter said. “We all voted for it, 5-0. This was something important that darn sure should be mentioned.”
Cody McGregor, spokesperson for Blackfin Pipeline, said community safety is a focus of the company.
"The Blackfin pipeline has been designed and constructed in compliance and cooperation with all regulatory agencies and is a critical piece of infrastructure that creates jobs in Texas and supports our economy and the reliable availability of its abundant natural gas resource along the Gulf Coast," McGregor said.
In an Aug. 7 letter to the Texas Railroad Commission, Metcalf said the project potentially poses an “extreme” risk to local families, businesses and commuters. Metcalf requested that the commission set up a public hearing in Conroe regarding the project.
Houston-based attorney Seth Rubinson said the project and its location in a densely populated area are “truly unprecedented.”
“This would truly change the face of Conroe,” Rubinson said, adding the site has “profound dangers” to the community.
Doyle Sanders, an engineer with over 50 years of experience in the design, construction, and operation of natural gas pipelines, said if there were an explosion, the immediate radius around the site would be incinerated. He said a blast could impact a mile radius from the site, which would include River Plantation.
“You have no time to get out,” Sanders said.
In December, Howard County firefighters in west Texas responded to an explosion at a compressor site in the rural part of the county, according to NewsWest9. When crews arrived on scene, they were able to work alongside the operator to isolate the compressor and extinguish the fire. No one was injured.
In the lawsuit, according to permits filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the site will have four turbine compressor units rated at 30,000 horsepower with 144 blowdowns per year.
Blowdowns are routine operations on natural gas transmission and distribution systems to allow operators to safely perform maintenance, inspections, construction, and emergency response. This practice involves isolating and depressurizing a section of the pipeline and typically venting the natural gas to the atmosphere, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The pipeline project includes three additional compressor station sites including one each in Austin County, Hardin County and Jasper County. Sanders said all three of those sites are in rural areas, away from homes and businesses.
“We have to do everything in our power,” Councilman Hardman said. “I don’t care how much it costs.”