The pipeline
What Transwestern is proposing
Where it stands (from FERC filings)
- Apr 3, 2026FERC approves pre-filing (letter)
- Jul 9, 2026FERC scoping notice published (Federal Register)
- Aug 5, 2026Scoping comments closed; no session was held in Texas
- Sept 2026Draft environmental reports filed; FERC staff commenting
- By Nov 30, 2026Certificate application expected; intervention window opens
- 2027–28Environmental review, then a FERC decision
The route
Along US 62/180, past Hueco Tanks
In Texas the line runs west through Hudspeth County, then crosses El Paso County north of Homestead Meadows and enters New Mexico near milepost 200. The numbers below come from the company's own draft land-use report.
- Hueco Tanks
- “0.02 mile from MP 173.6.” The company says it moved off the existing El Paso Natural Gas corridor to avoid the Park's boundary and the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo trust lands next to it, and says it expects no direct effects on the Park (draft RR 8).
- Homes
- One residence in Texas within 50 ft of the construction area, at milepost 174.48. It is 36 ft from the pipe (draft RR 8, Table 8.3-8).
- Roads crossed
- Hueco Tanks Rd, Curley Ave, Hueco Mountain Rd, Woodrow Rd, Quinn Ave, Old Butterfield Trl, Spilsbury Rd, Overland Stage Rd, Soto Dr and Adeline Ave, all between mileposts 172.9 and 175.4. Most paved roads would be bored; the dirt roads and Overland Stage Rd would be open-cut (draft RR 8).
- Land
- Of 29.74 El Paso County miles: 15.69 on military land, 0.07 state and 13.98 private, which includes 1.29 miles owned by the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo (draft RR 8).
- Water
- FERC staff asked the company to check for conflict with a planned El Paso Water importation pipeline in Hudspeth County (Oct. 20 staff comments).
Neighbors
In their own words
Shared with permission. Each account is the person’s own.
“I allowed them access to my property for surveys only if they agreed to send me the survey results, including the one looking for archeological artifacts. I never got results from any of the surveys they conducted, even after following up on my request.”
“They had a public input session but they sent the notices via snail mail, so I didn’t get it in time to comment. I’m assuming that to be the same for others as well.”
What to do
Get on the record before the application
The scoping deadline has passed, but the record is still open. Comments filed now go into the docket the company and FERC staff are working from. What matters most is the step after: intervening once the application is filed.
Follow the docket
Sign up with FERC's free eSubscription for docket PF26-9-000. You'll get an email for every filing, including the notice of application that sets the intervention deadline.
eSubscription ↗File a comment now
Use FERC eComment (name and email only) and cite PF26-9-000. Say who you are, where your land is relative to the route, and what you want studied. Comments filed after Aug. 5 still go into the public docket, though FERC hasn't promised how it will weigh them.
FERC eComment ↗Get ready to intervene
Only intervenors can ask for rehearing and take FERC to court (Natural Gas Act §19). Interventions open when FERC notices the application; the notice sets the deadline. Create a FERC eRegistration account now so you can eFile then.
eRegistration ↗Ask FERC for help
FERC's Office of Public Participation helps landowners take part: (202) 502-6595, OPP@ferc.gov. Problems with the company go to the Landowner Helpline: 1-877-337-2237, LandownerHelp@ferc.gov.
Office of Public Participation ↗
Your land
Surveys, notices and easements
If the line crosses or comes near your property, here is what the rules say. This is general information, not legal advice.
- Survey access
- Before FERC issues a certificate, “State or local trespass laws prevail” (FERC landowner pamphlet). Texas law gives some pipeline companies survey rights, so talk to a lawyer before refusing. If you sign a right-of-entry agreement, get its conditions in writing.
- Survey results
- FERC has companies file cultural-resource material that shows site locations as non-public, privileged information (FERC staff letter, Oct. 20). Don't count on seeing site-level results. If the company promised you its results, keep that promise in writing and raise it in a comment.
- Mailed notice
- After the application, the company must mail notice within 3 business days to “affected landowners”: land crossed or used, land beside the right-of-way, homes within 50 ft of the work area, and land within ½ mile of a compressor station (18 CFR 157.6(d)). The notice includes the intervention deadline. If you're near the line and don't get one, check the docket yourself.
- Eminent domain
- If FERC grants a certificate, the company can condemn easements in federal or state court (NGA §7(h)). A judge sets compensation under state law. FERC itself doesn't oversee condemnation.
FAQ
Common questions
Who decides?
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Interstate gas lines are federal, so the Texas PUC doesn't decide this one. The Railroad Commission's pipeline safety role covers intrastate lines.
I missed the scoping meetings. Is it too late?
No. The closest session was in Chaparral, NM, and there was none in Texas. Comments are still being filed, and there will be more chances to comment: on the application and on the draft environmental review.
Will there be an Environmental Impact Statement?
FERC hasn't decided. Its notice says staff will choose between an EA and an EIS after the application is filed (scoping notice).
What is intervening, and is it hard?
It makes you a party to the case. You file a short motion through eFiling saying who you are and how the project affects you (18 CFR 385.214). It must be filed by the deadline in FERC's notice of application. Late interventions need “good cause.”
Who runs this site?
Hueco Valley neighbors. We aren't lawyers and aren't affiliated with Energy Transfer, Transwestern or FERC. Every fact links to its source; tell us if one is wrong.