From the moment he purchased 53 acres of property in Blanco County two years ago, Matt Walsh knew that’s where he wanted to build his dream home.
Those dreams quickly turned into a nightmare when Walsh fought Kinder Morgan’s attempt to carve part of its 420-mile Permian Highway Pipeline (PHP) through his property. It was one of the first condemnation hearings involving the PHP in the Hill Country, a project that could impact Blanco, Hays and Caldwell counties.

“It was so unrealis...