A proposed gas pipeline to be installed along Interstate 96 in south Lansing has residents and public officials worried about the possibility of the gas leaking into the local groundwater.
About 25 people spoke to the Lansing City Council at its Monday meeting about the pipeline, including a large majority of residents and two representatives from the Lansing Board of Water and Light who were opposed to the project.
Wolverine Pipe Line Co., 2691 Lake Lansing Road, wants to replace a 65-year-old, 8-inch diameter pipeline with a 12-inch pipeline that would run for about 26 miles along I-96, but residents near the highway are worried about gas contaminating the area’s water supply.
Jim Roth, the manager of Lansing’s Planning and Neighborhood Development Department, said the company was originally looking at two different options after the Michigan Public Service Commission denied permission to build the new pipeline in Meridian Township, citing safety concerns.
The first plan would have the pipeline run along I-96, but would veer off in a few locations; the second plan would have it run nearly all of the pipeline’s length along the highway.
When the company finalized its application to the Michigan Public Service Commission, they chose the plan that stayed along I-96, Roth said.
The pipeline would be 4-feet deep for most of its length, Roth said.
“I’ve testified in front of the Michigan Public Service Commission,” he said. “In their review (of the proposed pipeline), they found it affects multiple jurisdictions within the region.
“The planning board makes recommendations to the mayor and the city council,” he said. “It’s our opinion that the proposal violates the public interest.”
A June 7, 2000 gas leak from a Wolverine pipeline in Jackson County forced residents in a 1-mile radius to evacuate their homes.
Since the incident many residents fear a similar accident occurring in Lansing.
The old pipeline runs through Meridian Township and the north part of East Lansing.
At the meeting Monday, Mayor David Hollister said his administration is opposed to the project based on the board’s and the commission’s findings.
“The planning board acted upon the whole of the information,” Roth said.
Ken Silfven, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, said the company has applied for a wetlands permit to build the pipeline.
If there was a leak, he said he wasn’t sure if there would be a significant health risk.
“It would depend where the incident occurred,” he said.
