490-mile natural gas pipeline has property owners in several Houston-area communities fearing eminent domain
EAST BERNARD, Texas - "It's something every property owner in the state of Texas and in the country can end up experiencing. They can get that knock on the door," said attorney Alejandra Galvan.
When government or big business want your property, they've got the law on their side. It's called eminent domain.
"And basically, what that means, the government has given the right to for-profit companies to take someone's property," said attorney Justin Hodge.
"It's just the uncertainty when you get notice from a pipeline company that they want to exercise the power of eminent domain. It's different than somebody off the street asking to buy your property," said Terry Hlavinka.
Hlavinka, and his brother Kenneth, own 750 acres in East Bernard. They grow corn and cotton.
"It's not an eight to five job. It's long days, seven days a week," said Terry Hlavinka.
"They're not saying they don't want these pipelines to be built. They're just saying they want to be treated fairly and justly like the Texas and U.S. Constitution requires," Galvan said.
This isn't the first time the brothers have seen pipeline companies play the eminent domain card.
"We've had pipeline companies in the past offer less than 10%," Terry Hlavinka said.
"Right now, a lot of these folks don't know exactly where the pipeline is going, what the pipeline company is going to offer to them for just compensation, and what rights are they taking," said Hodge.
"My biggest fear is not getting compensated fairly, and they're going to come in here and sue me," said Kenneth Hlavinka.
The 490-mile natural gas pipeline will impact hundreds of Texas property owners.
"If they can not come to terms on the just compensation, then at that point, the oil and gas for-profit pipeline company will sue the landowner to take the property from them," Hodge said.
"Hope for the best and praying everything works out well," Kenneth Hlavinka said.