After an inquiry from Hays County, Buda City Council unanimously approved a resolution on March 26 opposing the Permian Highway Pipeline and asking the legislature to take action.

Similar resolutions have been passed by the cities of Woodcreek, Wimberley, Kyle and San Marcos as well as by Hays County.

“We have received a request from the county and several of our surrounding communities—Kyle, San Marcos, Wimberley—in support of the opposition of this pipeline,” City Clerk Alicia Ramirez said. “We present it to council for your review and consideration to see if you would also like to be a part of the opposition.”

The preliminary route of the 430-mile, $2 billion pipeline does not go through Buda city limits but council members said they wanted to support neighbors.

“It’s not directly in our purview, it’s not directly in our city limits,” City Council Member Evan Ture said. “But it’s something where we’re standing with our neighbors.”

Both Council Member Ray Bryant and Council Member Lee Urbanovsky said they had recently spoken to Commissioner Mark Jones and believe that the resolution reflected the opinion of Hays County residents.

Mayor George Haehn also said he supports the resolution because of its call to action on the regulation of eminent domain.

“Although we do have thousands of miles of pipeline running back and forth across the state, the sensitive nature of the landscape that they’re wanting to pass it through—although as everyone has noted it does not affect Buda currently—just the sheer power of a pipeline company being able to utilize eminent domain without oversight is concerning, “ Haehn said. “So it seems  to be the consensus of counsel—or it is the consensus of council—that we support this resolution.”