In a recent opinion piece in the Bryan Times, Bob White, president of the Ohio Grange, expressed his support for the Rover Pipeline. The project will create reliable access to natural gas for farmers throughout the region, supplying agricultural operations with much-needed domestic energy resources. As Mr. White relates:
The average American farm spends a whopping 30 percent of their operating budget on energy costs for things like grain drying operations, heating facilities, and for use in fertilizers. Continuing delays in approval of the Rover Pipeline would not only make transporting this vital natural gas to farmers more difficult, but would have direct consequences for everyday Ohio families and small businesses who will be forced to pay higher utility bills. For some, this becomes a choice between putting extra food on the table for their family or keeping their heat on in the winter.
Mr. White also underscores the importance of the 10,000 construction jobs created by Rover:
It’s often said that with a goodpaying job comes hope. At a time when many are looking for work, this project has the potential deliver that hope by creating nearly 10,000 new constructions jobs. These jobs would help sustain families, bring new customers to small businesses across Ohio, and invest an estimated $4.3 billion in communities who so desperately need it.
The Rover Pipeline is committed to minimizing the project’s impacts to properties through which the pipeline will pass – with a particular focus on agricultural lands and environmentally sensitive areas. Mr. White illustrates this fact, writing:
Farmers also care deeply about the environmental impact that various infrastructure projects could have on our land, but the Rover Pipeline will be so strictly monitored that there is little doubt in my mind about its safety. Not only are pipelines the safest method of transporting energy according to the Department of Transportation, but Rover has committed to restoring any damaged farmlands and ensuring that quality soil is maintained at their own expense – they hold themselves to the highest of standards.
CEPI is encouraged to see the Ohio Grange’s continuing support for the Rover Pipeline. The organization has long been an ardent backer of the project, and farmers across Ohio can soon look forward to the many benefits that Rover will create for the industry as the project begins the construction process.