By Lewis Delavan
Arkansas News Bureau
CENTER RIDGE — Officials from across north-central Arkansas today threw their support behind a proposed $1.3 billion pipeline project to pump natural gas from the Fayetteville Shale play.
The Fayetteville Express Pipeline, a joint venture between Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP and Energy Transfer Partners LP, is expected to produce more than 2,000 jobs in Arkansas and Mississippi building the pipeline that will connect to lines serving the Midwest and Northeast.
“We are pleased to announce our support for the Fayetteville Express Pipeline. This is an important project for the state and many communities along its path,” state Senate President Pro Tem Bob Johnson, D-Bigelow, said in issuing a legislative proclamation of support for the project during a luncheon meeting of area leaders in this Conway County community.
Construction on 185-mile natural gas pipeline system is expected to begin early next year, pending final regulatory approval was expected to come Thursday.
Building the pipeline is an act of faith by the joint partners, said state Rep. Eddie Hawkins, D-Vilonia.
“These folks have really stuck their necks out,” Hawkins said. “They have made an investment that you and I can’t comprehend. The fact they have the courage to do this is to be commended.”
Hawkins said he paid his way through college by working on a pipeline crew. He said his father spent 42 years building pipelines.
Recovering the investment will take years, said Allen Fore, director of community relations for Fayetteville Express Pipeline LLC.
“We appreciate the support we have received from the state of Arkansas as we move closer to construction on this important project,” Fore said.
Conway County Judge Jimmy Hart, who co-hosted the event with FEP, said the project would generate jobs and revenue for his and many other communities in the state.
“It’s going to be a big, big impact on us,” Hart said.
“This is also a great economic opportunity for other parts of the state,” said state Rep. Jane English, D-North Little Rock. Her district covers part of the Fayetteville Shale area.
The proposed pipeline is to originate in Conway County and continue eastward through White County, terminating at an interconnect with Trunkline Gas Co. in Panola County, Miss.
It will cross beneath the Mississippi River.
In October 2008, Chesapeake Entergy Corp. announced a 10-year agreement with the joint venture to transport gas through the Fayetteville Express line, which is projected to transport 375 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.
At the time, Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon said the agreement would help reduce price volatility and accommodate substantial future growth the company anticipated from the Fayetteville Shale play.
Johnson said the shale isn’t like the soft shale used on roads. “It’s more like granite,” he said.
Technology wasn’t available a decade ago to extract the gas. Fore said it’s reasonable to believe technology will continue to raise the amount of gas that can be extracted from the shale.
The pipeline will be built alongside the recently built Texas Gas Transmission Line. The right-of-way has already been secured for the new line, Fore said.
