PMI Begins Construction On Pipeline Opposed By El Paso Residents

By ABC-7 Reporter Daniel Marin

Despite the objection of many far East El Paso County residents, construction is underway on the cross-border pipeline.

The line would run from Montana to the Border, cutting through communities like Clint and Agua Dulce.

The question is: didn’t the pipeline need approval from the President first?

ABC-7 has not received any notice President Bush signed off on the pipeline.

State Representative Chente Quintanilla says he hasn’t received any notice either.

The County of El Paso is opposed to the project but the State Department gave it their blessing in August, clearing the way for PMI to start digging, if the President approved it. PMI is owned by Mexico’s PEMEX.

Quintanilla says opposition is not about the pipeline itself but its planned placement through residential neighborhoods.

County residents share the same complaints, saying they don’t want a gas line running through their backyards, pecan orchards, or their children’s playgrounds.

ABC-7 attempted to contact PMI to ask if it received approval from the White House to proceed with construction but did not receive a call as of Friday evening.

The company in the past has agreed to bury the pipeline further into the ground in areas near homes.