While construction activities are underway in cities across Ohio and Michigan for the NEXUS pipeline project, all is quiet in the Summit County city of Green.
That’s because of a recent appeals court ruling that has stopped any work within city limits for now — a major victory for Mayor Gerard Neugebauer.
“What this means for the city is that somebody is actually hearing what we have to say,” Neugebauer said. “Somebody is telling them to stop and say, ’Is this really what we should be doing?’”
Neugebauer has been mayor for two years now, fighting the pipeline project since day one. The city has proposed an alternate route that bypasses the city and runs through a more rural area in Stark County. Eight miles of the 255-mile long NEXUS pipeline are planned to traverse the city of Green.
“It’s been a long battle, there haven’t been a lot of victories,” he said. The city’s annual budget is about $32 million; Neugebauer estimates they have spent approximately $350,000 in resources, research, and legal fees fighting the pipeline project.
According to the mayor, the pipeline would run through or near 17 of the city’s 26 ball fields, including one where it would go within 100 ft. of home plate. There are also concerns, the mayor said, about damage to the nearby Singer Lake Bog, which is home to protected species.
“We’ve just really stuck up for ourselves, and we’ve stuck up for our citizens so while this big company was coming out and saying they could take our land and they could walk onto your land anytime, we said, ‘No, you can’t.’”
It will likely be several months before any further court moves are made.
NEXUS spokesperson Adam Parker sent News 5 the following statement:
We are aware of the decision and are evaluating it, but beyond that it is our policy not to comment on pending litigation.
The NEXUS Gas Transmission project will serve markets in Northern Ohio, Michigan and Ontario. During construction it is estimated to drive $830 million in economic activity and support nearly 7,000 good-paying construction jobs. Construction activities are underway in various locations along the route in Ohio and Michigan and the project is targeting an in-service date late in the third quarter of 2018.
