The Ohio budget as signed by Governor Mike DeWine at the end of June includes $250,000 to the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments for the study and construction of an oil and natural gas pipeline.
The pipeline would run from Columbiana to Ashtabula counties, along Route 11.
Ohio 65th District Rep. David Thomas, who represents southern Ashtabula County, said Eastgate is in the process of looking for a firm to conduct the study.
Much of the study will focus on learning exactly who owns the property along Route 11.
Thomas said the pipeline would need easements for property owners along the highway.
It would not be too hard, because most of the property along Route 11 is owned by the Ohio Department of Transportation, he said.
Thomas said there could also be federal property tangled in because the interchanges of Route 11 and interstates 90 and 80.
There have been discussions make to a regional pipeline for a number of years.
The recent funding for the study was something advocated by the Lake to River Caucus, whose membership includes all Ohio House members representing Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties.
“This is huge for the future of development of the region,” Thomas said.
Ohio 99th District Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur, who represents the north coast of Ashtabula County, said the caucus is very excited for the project.
“It’s not a huge amount of money, but we hope the study will be helpful in identifying ways of boosting the economic development of the area,” she said.
Fowler Arthur said many local companies are interested in expanding, and they would want cheaper energy costs.
Thomas expects the study to take around a year, he said.
Money left over from the study could be used to finance the potential pipeline’s construction, Thomas said.
“We’re very excited,” he said. “This’ll be awesome.”
An earlier version of the state budget allocated $210,000 each to Eastgate and three other organizations to support the study and construction.
Thomas said the individual amount of $250,000 was more what the caucus was interested in.
The study will focus on fossil fuel development, not on other forms of energy, he said.
“I would also add the potential for broadband,” Thomas said.
Thomas said he is interested to see if other pipelines could be built along roads coming off Route 11 into communities that currently do not have access to natural gas.
“Your average Dominion customer doesn’t exist in this area right now because there are no pipelines,” he said.
The expectation is when the natural gas heads north into Ashtabula County, it will either be shipped out or used, Thomas said.
“I’m imagining any development from the pipeline would be multiple years down the road,” Fowler Arthur said.