Residents affected or concerned by the ET Rover natural gas pipeline, currently proposed to take a route through Atlas Township, can give input to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at a public hearing scheduled for 6 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the Holiday Inn Gateway Centre, 5353 Gateway Centre, Flint.
‘Many residents have expressed concerns about how the proposed pipeline could damage their property or force property values down, and I urge them to bring these concerns to the attention of the federal officials during this public hearing,? said State Representative Joe Graves. ‘It is vital that FERC has infor-mation from everyone involved so that the agency can make an educated decision on whether to allow the pipeline to be built.?
ET Rover is in the pre-filing application process. FERC Spokesperson Tamara Young-Allen said Rover plans to file a formal application at the end of January.
‘This hearing is for the public to tell us their environmental concerns with this proposal,? she said. ‘It will help the company with their application, they will take into consideration the issues raised by the public during the scoping process… We are very early in the process, this is an option that the company uses to learn the concerns of the public so they can address them. It is informative for all concerned? the public, and the FERC staff and the company. Our staff will conduct a formal environmental review and will draft an environmental statement and a recommendation after the company files an application.?
FERC has jurisdiction over interstate gas pipelines. ET Rover has proposed installing an 800-mile natural gas pipeline from the Marcellus and Utica shale areas in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, north through Michigan and ending in Canada. The pipeline, which ranges in size from 36 to 42 inches in diameter and would transport up to 3.25 million cubic feet of natural gas, was originally slated to follow the Enbridge Line 6B oil pipeline closely through both Groveland and Brandon townships, but plans were announced in August to shift the route north.
The route change came after much controversy in Brandon and Groveland, where residents protested, and both township boards passed resolutions opposing the pipeline and the proposed route, citing safety and environmental concerns.
In September Hadley and Atlas township boards also unanimously passed resolutions opposing the proposed Rover pipeline, but the route remains slated to go through those communities.