CONROE, Texas – A Montgomery County judge has blocked plans for a natural gas compressor station from being built next door to the family-run furniture store Bartholet Home Furnishings in Conroe.
On Monday, Judge Vincenzo J. Santini granted a temporary injunction in favor of Bartholet.
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Court filings show the company Blackfin Pipeline LLC intended to build a massive four-compressor station and a 48-inch pipeline directly behind the Bartholets’ showroom on I-45 South.
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At a hearing, pipeline experts testified the compressors would run at about 100 decibels, as loud as a siren, on a constant basis. Routine “blowdowns,” used to relieve pressure in the line, would create blasts up to 144 times a year.
However, Blackfin Pipeline’s project manager testified that the company intends to conduct a one, 15-minute blowdown at the site each year, as part of its routine, preventive maintenance plan.
In July, the Bartholets said an unannounced hydro-test on the pipeline created a “deafening sound” so loud employees had to cover their ears, and police were called after 911 reports.
The court also heard testimony that the station could use flaring, burning off excess natural gas with large open flames, releasing pollutants into the air.
Judge Santini found that both the noise and flaring would violate the restrictive covenants and amount to an intentional nuisance, since Blackfin pursued the project despite knowing the land was encumbered by restrictions.
The injunction bars the companies from building or installing any compressor equipment, testing pipelines, or conducting blowdowns at the site. The order will stay in effect until a full trial scheduled for May 2026.
“We are beyond grateful,” said Bartholet co-owner Sarah Gwin Bartholet. “We fought not only for our livelihoods, but for our family and the community we love.”
KPRC 2 has reached out to Blackfin Pipeline for a statement on the temporary injunction.
Cody McGregor, a spokesperson, sent the following statement:
“Safety is at the core of everything we do, and this project has been approved by all appropriate regulatory agencies including city and county officials – pipelines like this are the safest way to transport the energy used by Texans every day.
We are disappointed with today’s decision, but we look forward to appealing it vigorously and exercising all our legal rights to achieve a just resolution. In a county that has historically supported property rights and Texas’s energy industry, this ruling clearly caters to one individual and not the state or county at large. We expect to find a less conflicted venue in our appeal."
Santini set the bond for the injunction at $5,000 for the Bartholets.
Seth Rubinson, the attorney representing the Bartholet family, said they plan to post the bond on Tuesday.