To the Editor:
Pipelines are bad for a growing Ohio’s economy.
Feb. 11, sixteen U.S. Senators including Ohio’s Sherrod Brown wrote a letter to Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz expressing their collective concerns over the long term affects of this short term rush to exploit our finite nature gas energy reserves. Their major concerns were from increased exports of our Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) which, in part, led to an explosion of fracking in the Marcellus Shale region of the Eastern United States. This in turn has led to an export mania of our natural gas reserves to foreign markets that command prices three to four times higher than here in America. Increased demand will eventually raise prices for American consumers of their own finite natural gas reserves! The negatives are huge for the Ohio’s business community. Higher natural gas prices will increase costs for American homeowners and business. Huge over sized arguably unneeded natural gas pipelines planned for Wood and Fulton counties will expedite the profit driven energy markets for the short term windfall profiteers. The Nexus pipeline alone will export over 80% of its gas to Canadian markets (No public good). We also know that the Nexus pipeline has not one contract with a Ohio end user.
Pipeline right-of-ways have negative impacts to land values and real estate tax receipts in our communities. Decades of ill defined deregulated future pipeline projects with no reasonable safety setbacks create unknowns to real estate markets, depressing land prices and future development. Ohio Medina County Auditor Michael Kovach estimates the devaluation ranged from 10-15% of the least effected parcels (furthest from the pipeline) to 20% or more for the potentially developable parcels.
We know that the fossil fuel energy lobby has put a moratorium on alternative energy for two years in Ohio. They have placed restrictive language in Wind Farm zoning effectively stopping this growing business in Ohio. Alternative energy cannot be exported and it’s a greater long term job creator in Ohio than any short term job that a pipeline can create.
Paul Wohlfarth
Ottawa Lake, Michigan
