NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A proposed gas pipeline would cut through Middle Tennessee, but an environmental group is trying to stop it.
The Ridgeline pipeline would stretch 122 miles from Smith County to East Tennessee.
TVA said the project would ensure greener energy, but activists said there are cleaner options.
TVA's Kingston power plant has been operating on coal for decades, but TVA is moving to natural gas.
To fuel the plant, Enbridge's pipeline company wants to extend its pipeline that already runs from Robertson County to Trousdale County, and go all the way to Roane County.
Representatives for TVA and Enbridge pushed back on environmental concerns, saying the pipeline construction will have little impact on the environment.
"That's the biggest misconception is that it will impact their water," Art Haskins, the stakeholder engagement manager at Enbridge/East Tennessee Natural Gas, said. "It will impact the falls. It will impact tourism. It will have this large impact to the environment."
"The air quality is much better when you are talking about natural gas, especially in combination with solar energy and battery storage, like we are looking at with the Kingston Energy Complex," explained Scott Brooks with TVA Relations.
TVA representatives told News 2 that after hours of research and hours of listening to previous public commentary, they feel it would be environmentally friendly and offer their growing customers future affordable energy sources.
"Natural gas is extremely affordable right now," Brooks said. "The price of natural gas is as low as it has been in the last decade and so it is an option that not only allows us to maintain reliability, which is important, but also keep our costs low."
However, Dr. Cris Corley, a farmer and an environmentalist in the affected counties, said renewable energy would be a cleaner option.
"I wish they would reconsider and go to renewable energy," Corley, chair of the TN Chapter of Sierra Club, said. "I don't know how that would be beneficial to a pipeline company. I know in the future there will be hydrogen pipelines and I am not opposed burning hydrogen; the byproduct of it is water."
Corley feels a pipeline extension would disturb trees and mountains, as well as threaten freshwater mussels.
"There's like 40 threatened species of Tennessee freshwater mussels," Corley said. "Of course, they are going to stir up mud, and that's not going to be healthy for the bivalves that live in the river...they are going to be cutting through this old mountain timber. I hate to see it damaged. The feds will be able to seize our private properties for these right-of-way extensions, and they will be cutting through our clean streams."
"Our plans are to have zero impact on the waterways," Haskins said. "It's a steel pipe; it's not going to leak. It's designed and inspected and maintained."
In a press release from the Sierra Club, activists cite fossil fuels as the cause of severe flooding and tornados in the state.
The Club also said in part, "Methane, the main component of gas, is an extremely powerful greenhouse gas, and TVA's massive buildout of gas pipelines and power plants will continue to exacerbate the climate crisis."
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will be hosting three open houses for anyone to voice their support or opposition.
Open house details:
- Tuesday, June 11, 2024, 6-8p EDT, Kingston Community Center, Kingston, TN
- Wednesday, June 12, 2024, 6-8p CDT, Cookeville High School, Cookeville, TN
- Thursday, June 13, 2024, 6-8p CDT, Trousdale Community Center Hartsville, TN
You can also submit an online comment to the board. These comments will impact the final draft of the Ridgeline Expansion Project.