Construction of the Matterhorn Express Pipeline, a 42-inch natural gas pipeline, is set to commence in June 2023. Landowners in southeastern New Mexico and across a wide swath of Texas may see their rights potentially affected as the project gets underway. The pipeline is anticipated to commence service in the third quarter of 2024.
Upon completion of the project, the Matterhorn Express Pipeline is expected to deliver up to 2.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. This product will be transported from the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico and western Texas to Katy, Texas, near Houston. In all, the pipeline will cross 19 counties in Texas.
While Matterhorn Express claims it disfavors the use of eminent domain to acquire necessary property rights, it does state it will use eminent domain, if necessary, as a “last resort.”
Proponents of the pipeline project claim that the Matterhorn Express Pipeline will create 50 new permanent jobs in Texas and bring in approximately $35 million annually to state and local governments.
