By Bob Niedbala, Staff writer

niedbala@observer-reporter.com

WAYNESBURG - A Texas energy company recently met with Greene County officials to discuss building a new large-diameter natural gas pipeline across Greene County.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of the El Paso Corp. of Houston, has proposed building the 36-inch pipeline parallel to existing Texas Eastern Transmission pipelines that now cross the county, Robbie Matesic, director of the county Department of Development and Planning, told the planning commission Monday.

County officials also are to meet with another company that has a similar pipeline plan, Matesic said.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline is now in the preliminary stages of developing the project and is gathering information for a permit application to submit to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, she said.

Tennessee Gas officials met with Matesic, the county commissioners and representatives of state Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, and state Sen. J. Barry Stout, D-Bentleyville.

"The county's concerns were focused on the impact and interaction the company would have with individual property owners," Matesic said, particularly those property owners from whom the company would need to purchase rights of way.

"We want to know about their business practices and their code of conduct with property owners," she said.

Matesic told the commission she would provide additional information about the two company's plans at the next meeting.

A company spokesman, Robert Newberry, said Tuesday that the company still must complete the application process with FERC, conduct an environmental assessment and discuss the project with stakeholders and landowners.

Tennessee Gas and Equitable Resources Inc. are jointly developing the project, according to a news release issued by the company announcing the project.

The 471-mile pipeline will transport gas between the Rockies Express Pipeline project and northeastern markets, the release said. The proposed pipeline will begin at Clarington, Ohio, and end at Pleasant Valley, N.Y.

The pipeline will have an initial capacity of 1.1 billion cubic feet a day and require 70,000 horsepower of compression, he release said.

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