Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Flint Hills Resources outlines Bastrop–Austin jet-fuel pipeline route; asks Del Valle ISD to allow 0.32 acres of temporary workspace
Summary
Flint Hills Resources asked the Del Valle ISD board for temporary access to 0.32 acres of district land along Highway 71 to stage equipment for the proposed Bastrop–Austin Jet A pipeline, which company officials said would reduce truck traffic to the airport.
Flint Hills Resources representatives briefed the Del Valle ISD Board of Trustees on the Bastrop–Austin (BATX) Jet A pipeline project and requested temporary workspace on roughly 0.32 acres of district-owned land along Highway 71 for construction staging.
Andy Saenz, public affairs director for Flint Hills Resources, told trustees the 20-mile, 10-inch-diameter pipeline would transport jet fuel from a terminal in Bastrop to tanks serving Austin’s airport and that more than 80% of the route would be built in TxDOT right-of-way. Saenz said the pipeline would reduce daily truck movements — currently more than 100 round trips per day from Bastrop to the airport — and would be monitored 24/7. "This project... will take those trucks off the road," Saenz said, describing improved reliability and reduced emissions from fewer truck deliveries.
The company asked the board to grant a temporary workspace lease for construction equipment and staging on a small, unused strip of district property adjacent to Highway 71. Randy Couch, Flint Hills’ right-of-way team leader, said the temporary workspace area is approximately 0.32 acres and would be used for equipment and access. The company said it expects to be physically present on that site for roughly six to eight weeks, although the temporary-workspace agreement would allow up to 30 months to cover permitting and an 18-month possible construction window.
Trustees asked specific questions about the exact strip of land, width of the workspace, any traffic impacts and whether the district’s operations would be affected. Saenz and Couch said the staging would be on the side of Highway 71 away from campus activity and would not obstruct school thoroughfares; operations staff confirmed the parcel is not currently used for district business. The company also told the board a lease for city and airport easements is expected to be considered by the city council soon.
Trustee Feico asked about the map and the purple shading used in packet materials; Saenz confirmed the purple area on the map identifies the temporary workspace. A board member who noted concern about fuel infrastructure said pipelines are often safer and reduce truck emissions compared with daily truck deliveries.
No formal action was taken at the meeting; Saenz said the district item would return on a future agenda for formal action and that Flint Hills had already been meeting with neighborhood groups and county and state officials to refine the route and answer questions.
District staff said they had met with Flint Hills about the small area of school property and that operations staff had concluded the workspace would not impact district business because the land is unused. Company representatives said they would secure the worksite and that construction would generally avoid blocking public roadways.
