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A 1,679-mile natural gas pipeline from the Rocky Mountains to Monroe County, in southeast Ohio, is nearing completion.
The Rockies Express Pipeline (REX), the first pipeline to transport natural gas from the west coast to the east coast, is currently working on its third phase, REX-East. This phase will connect natural gas pipes from Missouri to Ohio, according to REX spokesman Allen Fore.
Fore said REX-East reaches halfway through Butler County and is expected to become operational in November.
According to Jerry Garrett, safety and utilities manager for the Butler County Engineer's Office, the pipeline crosses under 29 county and township roads.
Garrett said REX will bore under the roads and repair any damage to the pavement caused by construction.
According to Fore, the entire pipeline costs approximately $5 billion and is the largest natural gas pipeline under construction in North America.
Congressman Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio) said the project will likely lower energy prices for consumers.
"The more areas of supply that you can draw from in bringing natural gas into a region, the better that is for consumers," Driehaus said. "The price of electricity and the price of natural gas coming into the household is likely to go down."
According to Fore, the project has gone through an extensive review process to comply with federal, state and local requirements. Fore said the project has also been certified by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to be a project of "public convenience and necessity," giving REX the ability to acquire private land using federal eminent domain laws when necessary.
Fore said negotiations for one of the 230 plots of private land in Butler County being temporarily acquired for construction remains unresolved and is currently
being debated in federal court. The case is not expected to delay completion of the project, Fore said.
Driehaus, who visited a pipeline construction site in the county several weeks ago, said he has met with several satisfied landowners.
"When I was out there speaking to several families through whose property this is going, they had nothing but good things to say," Driehaus said.
Amanda Gushurst, a resident of Butler County whose farm is next to the pipeline, said she is not bothered by the construction.
"It doesn't bug us at all ... the cornfield looks fine," Gushurst said.
The details of the agreements worked out between REX and landowners are confidential, but Fore said property market values were used as a baseline for negotiations.
Fore said since the pipeline is buried, owners are free to use the land as they please after construction is completed with minimal restrictions in place to prevent damage to the pipeline-no permanent structures can be built and no tall, deep-rooted trees can grow above the pipeline.
According to Fore, the 42-inch diameter pipeline is buried at least five feet underground, in most cases under or adjacent to pre-existing utilities, such as power-lines or other pipelines. The pipeline is buried as deep as 80 to 130 feet below some rivers to minimize environmental impact.
Driehaus said the details of the project were adjusted to satisfy environmental requirements and community concerns.
"The project has to comply with all environmental laws and standards," Driehaus said. "By the time you get to putting down the pipe, you have mitigated concerns from public comment and alter plans accordingly."
Fore said natural gas is a relatively clean substance to transport.
"Natural gas is lighter than air, so it disperses if there is a leak and doesn't leech into the ground," Fore said.
The pipeline will be periodically inspected by company aircraft to make sure there are no obstructions, Fore said. The pipeline will also be constantly monitored by satellite and is capable of being shut down in case of a malfunction.
According to Driehaus, the pipeline will also create jobs and infrastructure for further economic development.
"I was impressed on the site by the number of jobs being created-laborers, teamsters, operating engineers-hundreds of people were working on the pipe when I was there," Driehaus said. "Those are quality jobs that are improving our quality of life in Ohio but also making Ohio more competitive for future jobs and laying the groundwork for future economic development in the state."
According to Fore, approximately 500 workers are currently laying pipeline in Ohio. He said 2,500 workers would be involved when construction proceeds at full capacity later this year. Jobs and tax revenue will also be generated from a compressor station in Monroe and a meter station in Lebanon.
Fore said the state of Ohio will receive between $60 million to $80 million a year in tax revenue from the pipeline once it is operational. Monroe will receive an additional $4 million a year from the compressor station, while Lebanon will receive an additional $250,000 a year from the meter station.
