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9/8/16
PUBLIC INTEREST CENTER, (614) 644-2160
MEDIA CONTACT: James Lee
CITIZEN CONTACT: Mike Settles
Public Comments Sought for Proposed Rover Pipeline
Hearing Set for Possible Pipeline Project in Crawford, Seneca, Hancock, Wood, Henry, Defiance, Fulton, Ashland, Noble, Monroe, Harrison, Carroll, Tuscarawas, Stark, Wayne, Richland, Belmont and Jefferson counties
Ohio EPA will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, at OARDC’s Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, to present details and answer questions concerning an application related to a proposed pipeline and accept public comments.
The application has been made by Rover Pipeline for a 401 water quality certification to install a new pipeline to move natural gas produced in the Marcellus and Utica shale areas of Ohio to an interconnection with the existing pipeline system in western Ohio and Michigan. The project will include approximately 369 miles of pipeline in Ohio.
Discharges from the proposed project would have a potential to affect the quality of streams and wetlands in the following watersheds: Tiffin, Lower Maumee, Cedar-Portage, Sandusky, Upper Ohio, Upper Ohio Wheeling, Little Muskingum-Middle Island, Tuscarawas, Mohican, Walhonding and Wills. Copies of the application and technical support information can be found on Ohio EPA’s website.
The proposed project may result in a change from current water quality conditions, but cannot violate Ohio’s water quality standards that protect human health and the environment. Ohio EPA will consider technical, economic, social and environmental aspects of the project before deciding whether to issue or deny a water quality certification. The application and related material are available for review by calling (614) 644-2001.
Anyone planning to discharge, dredge or use fill material in a way that impacts waters of the state must first obtain a water quality certification from Ohio EPA and a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ohio EPA reviews the project to ensure it will comply with Ohio’s water quality standards. Ohio EPA values public comment. All interested parties are welcome to attend or be represented and give written or verbal comments on the project.
Written comments are considered equally with oral testimony presented at the hearing. Written comments must be received by close of business Sept. 29, 2016, and should be mailed to Ohio EPA – DSW, Attention: Permits Processing Unit; Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049, or via email: epa.dswcomments@epa.ohio.gov.
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The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.
Public Comments Sought for Proposed Rover Pipeline
Source: Ohio Environmental News