A Texas bomb squad was deployed to neutralize a suspicious device found at a Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline.

Kinder Morgan's Permian Highway pipeline (PHP) runs nearly 700 km from West Texas to Houston, where some of the products carried by the line is destined for export markets.

According to a report in the Hays Free Press:

"Company Vice President Allen Fore told the Hays Free Press that work in the immediate vicinity was halted after a contractor discovered the device at a work site in Blanco County on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

DPS Sgt. Deon Cockrell, who Fore directed future media inquiries to, said residents in the immediate area were moved “to a safe location” and others outside the immediate area were asked to shelter in place.

This is just the latest in a string of incidents affecting this one single pipeline. In February, 15 firefighters had to respond to a fire that was started along the pipeline route in a mulching machine. In March, a contractor accident resulted in thousands of gallons of drilling fluid being dumped into a local aquifer, fouling wells and prompting lawsuits.

“We are thankful for the quick response of local law enforcement, and we are assisting in the ongoing investigation into this criminal activity,” Fore said."