Kristen Mullins, President & CEO of the Ohio Grocers Association
Kristin Mullins, President and CEO of the Ohio Grocers Association—a member of the Coalition for the Expansion of Pipeline Infrastructure (CEPI)—voiced support for the Rover Pipeline in a letter to the editor recently published in the Steubenville Herald Star. “We believe construction of natural gas pipelines—particularly the Rover Natural Gas Pipeline Project—is good for businesses, good for regional job creation and good for Ohio families,” Mullins says.
The Ohio Grocers Association (OGA), which represents approximately 400 grocers, wholesalers, brokers, and associate members, is a “leading voice and advocate for Ohio’s food industry.” As an active member in communities across Ohio OGA knows firsthand how important energy infrastructure is for the region. According to Mullins, “The Rover Pipeline comes at a time when our region really needs it,” adding that low energy prices have already had an impact in parts of Ohio.
Mullins argues that “a major infrastructure project like the Rover Pipeline would provide a real shot in the arm to our local communities and our grocery stores.” She emphasizes that in addition to $134 million in additional state and local tax revenues the project will also trigger local spending which will help area businesses.
Thanks to new jobs and new workers relocating here, living in the area and spending money at local businesses, our region—and Ohio as a whole—will see more than $134 million in additional state and local tax revenues. As Mullins points out, “It’s simple: The more people that are in town working on the pipeline, the more families that are grocery shopping.”
The $4.2 Rover Pipeline project is expected to create upwards of 10,000 new construction jobs across the region, including as many as 6,500 in Ohio. Expanding pipeline infrastructure stimulate local economies in both the short and long-term with thousands of jobs and millions in new tax revenues.