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Utopia East pipeline project

A representative of a pipeline company says a proposed project in Ohio will have minimal impact on farmland.

Allen Fore, Vice President of Kinder Morgan says the 240 mile Utopia East Pipeline Project from Harrison County in East Central Ohio to Fulton County in Northwest Ohio will transport ethane and ethane-propane mixtures, by-products of Utica Shale. Fore says education is a critical part of the project, especially for those agricultural areas along the proposed route. And for landowners, he says they’ve created an agricultural impact mitigation agreement.

“It addresses issues such as drain tile and if we impact drain tile adversely we’re gonna fix it and we’ll fix it with a local contractor,” Fore said. “Soil compaction, depth of cover, restoration processes, so when pipelines are constructed properly you can farm right over the top of these pipelines.

The Kinder Morgan official says the key is making sure land in the permanent easement is restored and if there are adverse impacts, even temporary, landowners would be compensated.

Construction of the Utopia Pipeline is expected to begin after the growing season in 2016.

Audio: Allen Fore, Vice President, Kinder Morgan