Residents of East Mississippi and West Alabama are invited to ask questions and share concerns about a proposed natural gas pipeline project at series of open house meetings in affected counties throughout the month of February.

 

Held as part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s pre-filing process, the meetings are an opportunity for pipeline company representatives to hear from the community, answer questions and put to rest any concerns the public may have about the project.

 

The pre-filing process takes place before a project has been submitted to the FERC for environmental review, and pipeline, named the “Mississippi Crossing Project,” has not yet been approved.

 

“Because open houses occur during the pre-filing period, it’s important to note that a company’s planned project is still being developed,” the FERC states on its website. “The exact locations, facilities and impacts of a planned project are not always fully known and may change over time. Open houses are an early opportunity to learn about a planned project, but it’s important to stay involved and monitor project developments over time.”

 

Under its Mississippi Crossing Project, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company is proposing a new natural gas pipeline stretching from Greenville, Mississippi to Butler, Alabama. The approximately 200-mile long pipeline would also include the construction of three natural gas compressor stations, located in Lauderdale, Humphreys and Attala counties, metering and regulation facilities and other supporting equipment and infrastructure.

 

Lauderdale County would also host an overpressure protection station and mainline valve, according to a plan description filed with the FERC. When complete, the pipeline is estimated to have capacity to transport up to 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, which is enough to generate enough electricity for roughly 6.5 million homes, according to usage data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

 

Maps filed with FERC of the general project location show the pipeline would cross the northeast corner of Leake County, southwest corner of Neshoba County and northeast corner of Newton County before entering Lauderdale County east of Chunky Duffee Road near the intersection of Bouge Statinea Road and Bouge Flower Road. It would cross into Clarke County near Highway 145 just south of Clarkdale Attendance Center.

 

Open houses to meet with the public will kick off Monday, Jan. 27, at Quitman Junior High School from 6-8 p.m. Lauderdale County will follow on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Clarkdale High School from 6-8 p.m.

 

On Thursday, Feb. 13, an open house will be held at the Warehouse Industrial Event Venue in Butler, Alabama, also from 6-8 p.m.

 

Newton County residents are invited to an open house set for 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27 at Newton County High School Career Center, and Neshoba County residents will have an open house 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Neshoba Central High School.

 

Open houses are also scheduled for Leake, Attala, Holmes, Humphreys and Washington counties throughout the month of February, and a virtual open house is scheduled from 7-8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5. Residents can register for the virtual open house at kindermorgan.com/Operations/Projects/Mississippi-Crossing-Project/MSX-Open-House.

 

According to the FERC’s Office of Public Participation, residents can expect to see representatives from the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company at the open houses who will be on hand to help answer questions and explain more about the project. Also present may be FERC staff to help explain more about the pre-filing process and the regulatory hurdles the project will need to navigate through, the agency said.

 

More information about the Mississippi Crossing Project, open house dates and documents regarding the project can be found online at ferc.gov/projects.