East Texan Plans Lawsuits over Keystone XL Pipeline

AUSTIN — Retired chemist and landowner Mike Bishop of Douglass, in Nacogdoches County, comes to Austin to protest the Keystone XL pipeline, and to file the first of several lawsuits. He says when he refused to allow the oil pipeline to go through his land, the pipeline firm said there was no chance of his winning a case against the company. He said the firm told him it has the right of eminent domain as a common carrier. Bishop says his lawyer told him he had no choice but to settle. He says he’s concerned about pipeline spills and the pipeline’s effect on the environment. He’s already filed a lawsuit against the Texas Railroad Commission. He says he also plans to file suits against the Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas Legislature.