Driller’s slip-up angers resident

Written by Jason Joyce

Tuesday, 30 September 2008 10:42 PM

Correction Wednesday’s headline “Driller’s slip-up angers resident,” should have stated that a pipeline company representative angered the resident. For UT-Arlington neighbors, new concerns arose over the natural gas pipeline construction near campus after a knock on an 80-year-old Ray Street resident’s door. The man knocking on the door was Wayne Cockrell of United States Right of Way Company representing DFW Midstream Services, the company hired by Carrizo Oil & Gas to install pipelines to transport natural gas from the wells at Pecan and Mitchell streets. DFW Midstream is a subsidiary of Luminant. “I told him she didn’t open the door for strangers,” said Sandra DenBraber, a Ray Street resident who lives near the 80-year-old woman. “He gave me his card and told me to tell her that if she didn’t sell her home, they’d take it through eminent domain.” DenBraber said DFW Midstream needed the property to build a compressor station for the pipeline. Cockrell’s visit led to e-mails and phone calls among neighbors, resulting in resident Linda Yarbrough sending an e-mail to Communications Vice President Jerry Lewis and Arlington Councilwoman Lana Wolff. In the Aug. 28 e-mail, Yarbrough complained that Cockrell’s tactics were dishonest and harassing. University officials and Luminant said the incident was blown out of proportion. “My understanding is that he just misunderstood what he was out there to do and misspoke,” Luminant vice president Brett Wiggs said. Shortly after Yarbrough e-mailed the university, city and Carrizo officials, Lewis sent a reply stating the university ignores most “rumors and innuendo,” but felt obligated to respond to “the patently false accusation that UT-Arlington or any of its partners in this project are threatening neighbors with eminent domain.” Soon after that, Cockrell apologized to the resident for misspeaking at their first encounter, DenBraber said. As far as Luminant and DFW Midstream are concerned, the matter’s resolved, Luminant spokesman Allan Koenig said. But the situation has led to concerns that some might misunderstand DFW Midstream’s intent, Wiggs said. DFW Midstream engineers have already completed six miles of pipeline using existing routes, and they make every effort to reduce impact on area residence, he said. “It’s important neighbors understand that we have no right of condemnation on Ray street and no intent to take property,” Wiggs said. Views: 2654 | E-mail   Be first to comment this article Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com All right reserved

Last Updated ( Monday, 01 December 2008 01:49 PM )

 

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