Lauderdale County residents and landowners learned more about a proposed natural gas pipeline project as Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company LLC, a Kinder Morgan company, held a public meeting Wednesday at Clarkdale High School.

 

The proposed pipeline, the Mississippi Crossing Project, would be able to transport 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas per day, is planned to stretch more than 200 miles, beginning near Greenville in Washington County, Mississippi, and ending in Butler County, Alabama. It will also involve building three compressor stations as well as other supporting infrastructure along the route. In total, the project is estimated at $1.5 million.

 

Kinder Morgan Vice President for Public Affairs Allen Fore said the project is currently in its pre-filing stage. The company has contacted the approximately 1,100 landowners along the route to survey potential rights-of-way, reached out to county governments and briefed state legislators about the project. Wednesday’s public meeting, along with public meetings in every county along the proposed route, are also part of the pre-filing process, giving residents a chance to come learn more about the project, what it will entail and what impact it may have on the local community.

 

“Now the landowners have received communications. Those have already happened,” he said. “But this is for anyone who’s interested in learning more about the project.”

 

One common point of confusion, Fore said, is with the company’s surveying practices. While the pipeline will eventually need a 50-foot right-of-way, surveyors initially plan for 300 feet, he said. The extra space allows for some flexibility in the path of the pipeline should builders run into obstacles or need to accommodate a specific landowner request.

 

According to handouts from the public meeting, land over the buried pipeline will be useable for agriculture, grasses, flowers, small shrubs and even access roads, with Tennessee Gas Pipeline input. Buildings and trees with deep roots are not allowed.

 

The proposed route calls for 19 miles of new pipeline in Lauderdale County, which will also host one of three compressor stations, which help move the gas through the pipe, along the route, Fore said. Where just rights-of-way are needed for the pipeline, the TGP will have to purchase land for the compressor station, he said, with an ideal site being about 30 acres. The exact location of the station in Lauderdale County has not been finalized.

 

Project-wide, the pipeline is expected to generate an additional $30 million in ad valorem tax revenue for the counties it passes through, Fore said, with how much each county gets decided by how much pipeline and infrastructure falls within its boundaries. Kinder Morgan, which operates more than 13,500 miles of pipeline in Mississippi, already pays approximately $1.8 million in ad valorem taxes for pipeline already in Lauderdale County, he said, and the Mississippi Crossing Project would effectively double that amount.

 

“So it’s going to more than double, which is obviously good for the local government,” he said.

 

The project is also expected to generate 750 temporary jobs, as well as 15 permanent jobs, in addition to the economic impact of the construction itself.

 

Fore said the company is holding public meetings throughout the month and plans to submit its project application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, by the end of June. The FERC will conduct its own public meetings, do environmental assessments and evaluate the project’s necessity. The agency has two years from the time the application is received to reach a decision.

 

Under the current timeline, construction of the pipeline is set to begin in late 2027, Fore said, with the pipeline coming online in late 2028.

 

In addition to attending public meetings, residents interested in learning more about The Mississippi Crossing Project can view maps and documents filed with the FERC online at FERC.gov. The docket number for the project is PF25-2-000.