Antioch, Joelton Neighborhood Groups Unite To Fight Gas Compressors

ANTIOCH, TN — Though 25 miles apart on Interstate 24, two Davidson County communities have found common cause in a fight against two gas pipeline compressor plants. Though the compressors in Antioch and Joelton have received the go-ahead from the federal government, they aren't yet under construction because they've not received air permits from Metro.

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Keep Southeast Nashville Healthy and Joelton's Concerned Citizens For A Safe Environment are joining forces to urge local leadership to fight back against the compressors. They've found a high-powered advocate, as Metro Mayor Megan Barry told the groups at this weekend's Mill Creek Greenway Neighbors Fest that she wants to find a solution.

“I stand with the citizens who want to make sure their neighborhoods are being protected. We're working diligently to figure out a way to keep the gas flowing, but also to make sure our citizens are safe. Air quality has always been a concern for Tennesseans and especially in Nashville, we're in a bowl. The issue here is just about figuring out where best to place these compressors. For us, it's about making sure that they're not put anywhere near where people live, work and play," the mayor said according to Fox 17.

Both groups say the pipeline companies — Kinder Morgan subsidiary Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company is seeking the Joelton plant, while Columbia Pipeline Group wants to build in Antioch — could instead locate the facilities in rural areas, far away from subdivisions, but refuse to do so because of the cost associated.

Tennessee Gas filed a federal lawsuit in February against Metro, seeking injunctions that would allow construction to move forward. The Metro Council passed an ordinance in 2015 saying that compressors couldn't be built in agricultural-zoned areas and in 2016 sent a petition to the state's Air Pollution Control Board asking that projects be required to comply with Metro Codes air-pollution standards before receiving air quality permits. Tennessee Gas says Metro has overstepped its authority because the federal Natural Gas Act gives pipeline power to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The FERC issued the necessary permits to the pipelines, but they are contingent on construction.

Image via CCSE