Community reacts to proposed 122-mile natural gas pipeline

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A Tennessee natural gas company has proposed a 122-mile pipeline stretching across 8 Tennessee counties. It includes three East Tennessee counties: Fentress, Morgan and Roane counties.

Tennessee Valley Authority spokesperson Scott Brooks said, “We would be customers of the pipeline for the Kingston Generation Project and Kingston Energy Complex, which would be a first of its kind for TVA.”

According to the Federal Energy Regulator Commission, the pipeline would provide new firm natural gas transportation and a customized delivery service to the TVA Kingston Plant from multiple providers.

Brooks said this will help TVA with their goal to shut down the coal plant and create an energy complex using natural gas, storage and solar.

“It would be considered an important milestone for the project to keep us on track to retire the Kingston Fossil Plant and bring on the natural gas plant in a timely fashion,” Brooks said.

WVLT News spoke with a couple of people in Kingston. They said they’re okay with this move.

Kingston resident James Pelham said, “I think it’d be a better idea because you don’t want to worry about the ash spill. That could happen at any time.”

“I’m not necessarily happy about it, but I’d rather have natural gas over coal,” Kingston resident Jack Sims said.

The Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter is opposed to the pipeline. Kent Minault, a volunteer with the group, said there are a handful of concerns which include cost and environmental risks.

“They can get far lower cost electricity, by their own estimates, by using solar and storage,” Minault said. “It’s really terrible for the climate.”

There are two more public meetings scheduled for people to discuss the project.

• Wednesday, June 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. CDT at Cookeville High School in Cookeville
• Thursday, June 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. CDT at Trousdale Community Center in Hartsville

If approved, Enbridge would start construction in the fall of 2025.

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