Busting myths on the Bullitt County natural gas pipeline project

November 11, 2019

LG&E is in the midst of a natural gas pipeline project in Bullitt County designed to enhance reliability for existing customers and meet the growing energy needs in the area.

Bullitt County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Kentucky, and LG&E no longer has the ability to provide natural gas to new homeowners or businesses in that area and has already declined service to more than 60 new homes and businesses.

According to the Bullitt County Economic Development Authority, Bullitt County’s population is increasing by more than 1,200 residents a year, an average of 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing and logistics space and 400 homes are being built each year, and the local workforce is expanding by about 1,500 new employees per year.  The agency says without the pipeline the county could see a period of no growth and lose the capacity to provide needed jobs and investments to the county and state.

Bullitt County Pipeline map

Despite a clearly defined need, thoughtful planning and approval by the Kentucky Public Service Commission, misinformation regarding the proposed pipeline project persists. Separate fact from fiction below and check out more myth busters on our website at lge-ku.com/bullitt-county-pipeline

Myth #1 – LG&E carelessly chose to route a portion of the proposed pipeline through Bernheim Forest.

A small portion of the proposed pipeline – less than three-fourths of a mile – will run alongside an existing electric transmission line located on property Bernheim acquired after approval for the pipeline.  

The pipeline route is completely disconnected from Bernheim’s recreational areas that are open to the public and makes up less than .03% of Bernheim’s total footprint. After construction, Bernheim will continue to have use of the area.

Myth #2 – LG&E has not appropriately evaluated the pipeline’s environmental impact to the area.

We’ve worked with state and federal agencies to ensure we’re making decisions that:

  • Protect threatened species.
  • Are least impactful to the environment.
  • Are in compliance with all regulations.

In addition, as part of our planning work on this project and others, we take extensive measures to minimize potential impacts. Efforts on this project include routing the proposed pipeline alongside existing utility easements where possible, avoiding a critical Kentucky Glade Cress habitat and using appropriate construction practices when crossing streams within the project area.

Myth #3 – These types of natural gas pipelines aren’t safe.

The bottom line: safety is our top priority. That’s why we continuously maintain and monitor more than 4,300 miles of natural gas distribution mains and nearly 400 miles of transmission pipelines. Additionally, when it comes to safety, we perform annual maintenance on critical mainline valves and have a program that inspects individual service line valves. We also use in-line inspection tools to assess the condition of our natural gas transmission pipelines, which are monitored 24/7 by a central control room, and make any needed repairs. The new Bullitt County pipeline will be part of our comprehensive overall measures to our commitment of providing safe, reliable energy to the community.