EXPLANATION OF THE ISSUE:

In the early 1990's Western Gas came to the south Katy area and began to visit with land owners in an effort to acquire the mineral rights that would allow Western Gas to use an existing gas storage dome for the purpose of storing methane gas.

The articles that follow address various aspects of that process.

As a member of the Katy ISD School Board at that time, I was present for meetings that addressed the issue.  There were some Katy residents who wanted the royalties that were being offered for their mineral rights.  There were other Katy residents who thought that the well head placement in their midst was a safety issue.

Shortly before these actions, a gas storage dome in Brenham had blown up and killed some citizens there.

Here are some links to the story about that:  http://www.theeagle.com/blogs/fajitas_for_one/salt-dome-explosion-years-later/article_cab6128c-019b-11e2-8e7e-0019bb2963f4.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/08/us/gas-explosion-tears-through-texas-pastures.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpYIvyCXv9w

http://caselaw.findlaw.com/tx-court-of-appeals/1092489.html

http://www.allysite.com/brenham.html

http://spectrabusters.org/2014/06/18/brenham-texas-and-the-highly-dangerous-character-of-gas-and-its-tendency-to-escape/

Of note is the fact that the Brenham gas storage dome stored liquid petroleum gas.

The role the Katy School Board had in this matter was that Western Gas made a presentation and asked for our endorsement.  KISD also had some land under which the dome is located, and the District has mineral rights.