MANSFIELD, Ohio – The Richland county commissioners heard from representatives of the Rover Pipeline Project at their Thursday meeting. The new Director of Nursing at Dayspring was also formally introduced to the three commissioners.
The Rover Pipeline is a 711-mile pipeline designed to transport 3.25 billion cubic feet per day of domestically produced natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica shale production areas to markets across the United States (U.S.) and Ontario, Canada, said Susan King, of AECOM. AECOM is a construction and engineering firm under contract with Energy Transfer Partners for the Rover Project.
Representatives from construction to building permits to engineering were present at the meeting to answer any questions of the commissioners or local labor unions represented at the meeting.
King said the U.S. energy infrastructure changed in a dramatic way when Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf and made about 75 percent of the big drilling rigs in the water unusable. At the same time, there were changes in the natural gas production from Canada.
“The big game changer was the discovery of dry gas…in the Marcellus shale,” she said. “Traditionally, all pipelines ran north and south…and all of a sudden there’s no way to move all of this dramatic, good, inexpensive local gas. Hence, that’s why you’re seeing so many east to west pipelines come along to effectively build a new road infrastructure of natural gas.”
Preparations for the Rover Pipeline began in the summer of 2014 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has begun requesting survey permission of local landowners where the pipeline could be placed.
“This is required in order to design the pipeline and file all of the permit requests that are required,” King said.
The Rover Pipeline will take natural gas through 18 counties of 570 miles in Ohio including 35.03 miles in Richland, 33.03 miles in Ashland and 35.40 miles in Crawford counties. The pipeline will range in diameter of 24 to 48 inches and in many cases will be a dual line, King said.
Ohio is also a net importer of natural gas as well as a large consumer. A hub will be created in Defiance, Ohio, where up to 68 percent of the gas will be delivered for distribution to markets across the U.S.
“The pipeline is fully subscribed, meaning all the capacity it can handle is under contract,” she said. “So these kinds of pipelines are not built on speculation. They’re built on that there has to be approval and a need for them.”
The pipeline will be covered by a minimum of 5 feet of soil or more if crossing under roads, rivers or streams and the pipe will be buried no less than 48 inches or four feet in agricultural fields, King said.
There is also an agricultural impact mitigation plan to minimize the negative impacts that may occur due to pipeline construction, King said. Land Stewards, a consulting group that specializes in caring for agricultural land in a manner that ensures productivity as well as harmony with the environment, has contracted with the Rover Pipeline to ensure integrity of the land before, during and after construction. The company will also be the liaison between the landowner and Rover Pipeline officials.
Preliminary numbers of the economic impact in Ohio is $135 million in Ad Valorem sales tax, King said. Close to 10,000 construction jobs will also be created in Ohio.
“There’s a big push to use union and local contracts,” she said. “We’ve also made a very large effort to secure products from Ohio. So a lot of heavy equipment will be purchased in Ohio.”
King said if all goes as planned construction of the pipeline should begin in 2016 and be in full service by 2017.
New director of Nursing at Dayspring
The commissioners also heard from Dayspring Director Dan Cunning, who introduced Erin Collins, RN as the new Director of Nursing at the county operated assisted living facility.
Cunning had a digital presentation to show commissioners the improvements made to the building; but due to technical difficulties, the slideshow had to be postponed to another meeting.
For more information on the Rover Pipeline, visit roverpipelinefacts.com.
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“Traditionally, all pipelines ran north and south…and all of a sudden there’s no way to move all of this dramatic, good, inexpensive local gas. Hence, that’s why you’re seeing so many east to west pipelines come along to effectively build a new road infrastructure of natural gas,” said Susan King.
