MANSFIELD — The first of two parallel pipelines running through Richland County is completely constructed, but the second could be delayed by federal order.

“Through Richland County, Line A is complete, except for some testing,” Richland County engineer Adam Gove said in a Thursday, July 20 interview about the Rover Pipeline project. 

The second of the two pipelines is also nearly complete, according to Gove, but a horizontal directional drill needs to be made where the pipeline crosses the Black Fork of the Mohican River at the Richland and Ashland County line.

In May, the Richland Source reported the project would likely be able to continue in this area, despite an order by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

“The inspector I talked to believed that they were already underway with that process and would be allowed to continue, but he did say that this location was under a different inspector’s authority, and was not positive about where they were in the process,” Gove said at that time.

However, Gove updated that comment this week.

“They haven’t got authorization from FERC to do that,” he said.

The $4.2 billion Rover Pipeline will transport 3.25 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily.

It begins in Southeastern Ohio, Western West Virginia and Southwestern Pennsylvania before it travels northwest across Ohio. It crosses the upper half of Richland County as well as through neighboring Ashland and Crawford counties, and concludes in Livingston County, Michigan.

But only a fraction – 25 of a total 713 miles — of the pipeline runs through Richland County.

Gove said although the first line is complete, it won’t be in service yet. The pipeline is still under construction elsewhere.

He anticipates that pipeline workers will be around until the end of the year, working on “different phases” of the project. But he expects the number of people to diminish soon.

Some of the economic benefits of the pipeline were discussed in a previous Richland Source article. It also details some of the controversy behind the project.

Ealier this month, Ohio EPA Director Craig W. Butler’s Final Findings and Orders — issued Friday, July 7 — directed the ETP to immediately implement its Release Prevention and Emergency Response Contingency Plan and take other steps to protect “public health and the environment.”

On Friday, July 21, Ohio EPA Media Relations Manager, James Lee said that Rover Pipeline officials have responded to the orders. That response is still under review by the EPA.

Energy Transfer Partners is the Texas-based company constructing the Rover Pipeline project.