New Coalition Expands into West Virginia, Calls for Timely Approval of Natural Gas Pipelines
West Virginia Manufacturers Association, Ohio Oil and Gas Association and Five More Groups Announce Support for Critical Pipeline Infrastructure in the Region
CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA – The Coalition for the Expansion of Pipeline Infrastructure (CEPI), a diverse partnership of businesses, trade associations and labor groups, announced today that seven new members have joined the organization. The announcement means that groups from three states – Ohio, Michigan and now West Virginia – as well as groups representing the oil and gas industry have joined the Coalition and have voiced their support for the responsible expansion of safe natural gas pipeline infrastructure.
“We are proud to join the Coalition for the Expansion of Pipeline Infrastructure because we believe that our members stand to benefit enormously from both the construction and long-term operation of new, natural gas pipeline infrastructure,” said Rebecca McPhail, President of the West Virginia Manufacturers Association. “Pipeline construction has benefits throughout the manufacturing supply chain – be it sourcing steel, building compressor stations, or valves. But they also benefit manufacturers over the long-term by providing access to a valuable raw input, natural gas, which helps give West Virginia and all American manufacturers a powerful competitive advantage.”
According to David Hill, President of the Ohio Oil & Gas Association, “The recent boom in production from the Marcellus and Utica shale reserves presents an enormous opportunity for businesses in a variety of industries as well as end-consumers. The Ohio Oil & Gas Association is thrilled to join such a strong coalition of groups, and we are excited to add our voice to supporting natural gas pipeline construction projects.”
Hill continued, “But a boom in development has come with a significant bottleneck in the ability to move natural gas to market because of a lack of available midstream infrastructure. Our region desperately needs proposed pipeline projects, like the Rover pipeline, in order to move natural gas to market and to support continued production. We urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve proposed pipeline projects so that construction can begin as soon as next year.”
These groups’ added support for pipeline infrastructure comes at a critical time for many projects in the region. Despite a growth of regional natural gas production there remains a lack of natural gas pipeline infrastructure to move energy goods to market. Proposed pipelines crossing Michigan and Ohio, such as the Rover pipeline project, are poised to break that bottleneck – assuming regulatory consideration proceeds in a timely fashion. One such project, the Rover pipeline project, has been under review since pre-filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 19 months ago.
CEPI welcomes its newest members and applauds them for voicing their support for pipeline infrastructure development. The Coalition looks forward to gathering further support in order to educate consumers on the natural gas pipelines, and encourages the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider such projects in a timely manner.
The new groups that have joined the Coalition are:
- Michigan Oil and Gas Association
- Michigan State Grange
- Ohio Association of Convenience Stores
- Ohio Council of Retail Merchants
- Ohio Grocers Association
- Ohio Oil and Gas Association
- West Virginia Manufacturers Association
About CEPI: The Coalition for the Expansion of Pipeline Infrastructure (CEPI) is a partnership of entities from the agriculture, business, manufacturing, and labor sectors whose goal is to educate and advocate for expanding responsibly constructed, local-jobs creating pipeline infrastructure in Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. Together it represents more than 20,000 individuals, farmers, and businesses from across Ohio and Michigan. Additional members of the coalition include the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Grange, Laborers District Council of Ohio, Ohio Manufacturers Association, Michigan Laborers’ District Council, Land Improvement Contractors Association – Michigan, United Association Pipeliners Local 798, Michigan Chemistry Council, Michigan Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET), Michigan United Association, Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association, and the Michigan Forest Products Council. Visit us online at http://www.expandpipelineinfrastructure.org.