Proposed New Gas Pipeline to Run Through Local Townships

Pipeline image courtesy of Wikimedia.

In the last couple of weeks, some property owners in Bridgewater Township received a letter from  ET Rover Pipeline Company LLC, a Texas based company asking for permission for the company’s surveyors to go onto their property to survey specific parcels for a new natural gas pipeline. As proposed the pipeline, which has the capacity for 3.25 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day, will run from Ohio to Ontario and travel through a number of townships in western Washtenaw County, including Bridgewater. It will consist of approximately 380 miles of 36-inch and 42-inch diameter mainline pipeline and will parallel existing pipelines, power lines, or existing roads largely on agricultural land.

Before construction on the ET Rover pipeline can begin, it first must be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the lead federal agency responsible for conducting environmental reviews of proposed interstate pipelines.  Property surveying is one of the first steps in obtaining federal approval and the letter was the first step toward property surveying.

FERC's approval is vital because it would empower ET Rover to exercise eminent domain for whatever land it needs to build the pipeline. Before FERC grants eminent domain serious consideration is given to landowner concerns and the agency could order changes to a pipeline route if compelling arguments are made. FERC’s review process can take as long as two years and allows for multiple opportunities for the public to raise objections to the project.

ET Rover is hosting informational meetings for landowners and other interested people in order to share information about the construction and operation of the Rover Pipeline Project.  At the meetings there will be pipeline maps that show the approximate Rover Pipeline location in relation to properties and Project Team members will be available to answer questions, explain project details, and listen to any comments about the project. The nearest informational meeting to the Manchester area is on Tuesday, July 15^th in Chelsea at the Comfort Inn - Village Conference Center located at 1645 Commerce Park Drive from 5:30pm - 7:30pm. If you need driving directions you can call the Comfort Inn at (734) 433-8000.

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by News News