Adrian Daily Telegram recently reported on the Rover Pipeline’s final environmental impact statement issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in July. Rover will pass through Lenawee County in Michigan, and the team has consulted extensively with safety officials in the area prior to construction According to the article:
“Lenawee County Emergency Management Coordinator Curtis Parsons … has been part of a team examining and offering input on the project. The final details on the pipeline are expected to be approved in October.
Parsons said the project was brought to his attention in June 2014 and he has consulted with Rover representatives on safety concerns he had.
‘From my perspective, it is all about public safety,’ he said. ‘Any system that goes across the county would have to be inherently safe.’
Parsons said his questions included how the pipeline would be constructed, what materials and safety features would be used, and training opportunities for local first responders.
As of last week, Parsons said, he is satisfied ‘with what I’ve been shown so far’ and that local emergency crews would be trained to respond to any crisis.”
Underground pipelines are far and away the safest means of transporting natural gas. Projects like the Rover Pipeline build on that foundation of support with thorough planning and preparation, including consultations and trainings with local safety personnel, as evidenced by the Daily Telegram piece. This coordination ensures that construction and operation have minimal impacts to communities along the pipeline route, and CEPI is encouraged to see this important aspect of natural gas pipeline development in the press.