The Ohio Supreme Court has approved the construction of Duke Energy’s controversial Central Corridor Pipeline.
The pipeline runs about 14 miles through Sharonville, Sycamore Township, Blue Ash, Evendale, Reading, Amberley Village and Golf Manor.
Duke says the new pipeline is necessary to replace aging infrastructure. It will reduce reliance on gas from stations south of the region and allow Duke to retire peaking plants that supply gas in cold weather.
Residents in the communities on the pipeline's route have long opposed the project, saying they fear for their safety and worry the pipeline will leak or explode.
Critics have said the risks outweigh the pipeline's potential benefits. For example, the pipeline will only reduce reliance on one southern station by 5%, according to a Duke consultant.
Reading, Blue Ash, and Neighbors Opposed to Pipeline Extension appealed the Ohio Power Siting Board decision granting Duke a certificate to construct the pipeline. They argued the board misapplied the statutory criteria governing certificate approval, decided the case on incomplete information, misweighed the evidence, and limited their ability to meaningfully participate.
The court ruled while the board failed to follow its own rule by allowing Duke to submit a proposed route without also providing a fully developed alternative route, those appealing the decision couldn’t prove they were harmed by the error.
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