MEDINA, Ohio -- Safety and property rights and jobs are among issues readers raised about the Nexus natural gas pipeline, which would deliver gas from eastern Ohio across about 250 miles to Ontario, Canada.
The pipeline has been a source of controversy since plans were announced in 2014. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could decide on the pipeline as early as this summer after having heard testimony from the Nexus Gas Transmission Company and residents.
Here's what emailers to The Plain Dealer and commenters on cleveland.com had to say following a recent story about the pipeline.
Joe and Sue Petrak said as residents of Guilford Township, they stand with many other residents who are opposed to the pipeline.
"We are very much against the Nexus Pipeline going through our county," the Petrak wrote in an e-mail. "The compressor station will be within 5 miles of our 4 acre property. We have concerns about emissions and about how this will effect our property values."
@MrNegative @Wolfman So did you buy your home knowing the 30" line was there? If yes, that's a choice you were able to make. We on the other hand have been living on our land in some cases for more than 50 years, with plans and expectations for how to use it. Then to have a private company for their own gain, have the ability to take it from you is a completely different issue. Safety is one issue, and then property rights is another. Both in this case are egregious violations which should not be legal or allowed.
janetaxpayer wondered if landowners whose property contained as easement for the pipeline were obligated to disclose such information when selling it. She asks, "Since this is a large, high pressure line, would a real estate disclosure be required when selling the property?"
Real estate agents said the seller must disclose such information to potential buyers.
MrNegative noted there is an existing pipeline that runs from Cleveland to Akron. "It goes thru several high end neighborhoods. We are not dead yet."
Wolfman also brought up safety concerns about the proposed pipeline.
"Landowners are afraid of no standards for safety setbacks," he wrote. "These huge high pressure natural gas pipelines come with huge risks. The NEXUS pipeline first pipeline to be installed is 36 inches and has a well known blast zone of 1,500 feet. This mean anything within this zone will be killed."
Wolfman also noted the gasline explosion in Pennsylvania of a line owned by the same company that wants to build the Nexus pipeline.
"Recently, in Salem PA, a 30 inch Spectra Nat gas pipeline exploded burning down a home 500 feet from the pipeline. Homes a half a mile away had the siding melted off their homes. One man was burned over 75% of his body. The pipeline was found to have corrosion defects at its welds. What would of happened if this explosion was in a city?"
Big M questioned how many of the people opposed to the Nexus pipeline were also opposed to the much larger Keystone pipeline.
"It's nearly the same concept except that Nexus is close enough to evoke the universal NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) rule," he wrote.
James E. Melle of Columbus emailed that he did not trust the information coming from Nexus and said everything they said should be independently evaluated. He also wondered about the number of jobs the pipeline will provide.
"How many of the 5000+ jobs will be in Ohio?" he asked. "The pipeline goes through many states and into Canada. I will wager the number of Ohio jobs is less than 200 and even less than that in Medina County."
A Nexus spokesman estimated 5,325 jobs will be created, accounting for more than $565 million in wages and $687 million in total economic activity in Ohio.
Michael Bertolone, spokesman for Operating Engineers Local 18, said the union supports the Nexus project because of the jobs it will provide, but wants them to be Ohio union jobs.
"If the proposed NEXUS project is approved by the FERC then that will in turn provide hundreds of jobs for our operators," Bertolone wrote in an email. "The project itself has been awarded to three different contractors and, unfortunately for the trade unions, 1 of the 3 contractors who has been selected is a non-signatory, out of state, contractor with 100% out of state work force."
He noted that the other two contractors are also out of state contractors but they utilize the local hiring halls for their work force, "which in turn provides jobs for local people. We are not opposed to out of state contractors coming to Ohio, as long as they use our local workforce to be out on the project."