Border Pipeline Rights Of Way At Risk

摘要

With the boom in Eagle Ford Shale drilling in South Texas, pipeline rights of way are becoming corridors for entry into the U.S. for Mexican cartels, according to Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter. In a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske, Porter demanded to know what the federal government intends to do about it. During the last several years, large areas of brush have been cleared within the rights of way for thousands of miles of South Texas pipelines to allow inspectors to conduct mandated inspections. In his letter, Porter quoted Border Patrol agent Robert Fuentes, who in a Bloomberg interview said, "With oil explorers expected to drill tens of thousands of wells in the Eagle Ford over the next decade, smugglers' travel options will only increase." In the same article, Bloomberg quoted oilfield service firm Weatherford International's claim that Texas Farm Road 755 through the Eagle Ford play, is a "main corridor for drug and human trafficking."