7/8/14 - Plans are in the works for a new natural gas transmission pipeline that could pass through Livingston County on its way to Canada. The proposed new gas pipeline project would partially track along the same route as the Enbridge Energy Line 6B oil pipeline that was recently replaced as it ran through the county. A company spokeswoman says the 42 inch natural gas pipeline being proposed by ET Rover Pipeline, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, is in a pre-filing process with another application due to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in January. If approved, it would transport natural gas from as far away as Pennsylvania, coming through Ohio and then into southern Michigan, where it would make its way north through Lenawee and Washtenaw counties before entering Livingston County, roughly paralleling the Enbridge line as it makes its way to Ontario. The company projects that the pipeline will create more than 5,000 temporary construction jobs and 30 to 40 additional permanent jobs. But for many area residents who were unhappy with the way they were treated by Enbridge during that project, including complaints of illegally clearing trees from their land, this latest proposal is being met without outright opposition. Josh Mogerman, a spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council told the Detroit Free Press the plan is âconsistent with the growing trend nationally that puts more and more risk in peopleâs backyards for the movement of fossil fuels.â That sentiment is echoed by Beth Wallace with the nonprofit Pipeline Safety Trust, who said the project has very little benefit for Michigan, which she says is âbecoming yet another highway for export pipelines,â at the expense of the environment and homeowners living along the proposed right-of-way. The first chance for the public to have their say on the pipeline plan will be next week when ET Rover will hold an informational meeting on Monday, July 14th at the Fenton Township Hall from 5:30 -7:30pm. (JK)
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