Georgia Pipeline Route Change Spares Utility Executive's Land, Raises Questions

A rerouted section of a planned $3.5 billion natural gas pipeline in western Georgia is drawing scrutiny after it was shifted to avoid the property of a Southern Co. power plant manager. Donnie Peek, a landowner in Fortson near Columbus, says the pipeline originally was set to follow an existing propane pipeline easement across his property and three neighbors' parcels. But the final route approved by developer Southern Natural Gas — a joint venture of Kinder Morgan and Southern Co. — instead runs almost entirely through Peek's land alone, adding roughly 1,400 feet and millions of dollars to the project. One of the properties no longer affected belongs to Chris Lane, a 25-year Southern Co. employee who manages two of the company's power plants. Peek has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to restore the original path, arguing the change benefited a company insider. Southern Natural Gas denies any special treatment, saying the new route reduced the number of impacted landowners from four to one. The pipeline, part of the Southern System Expansion 4 project, would connect to a larger network supplying gas across the Southeast amid rising demand tied to data centers and new gas-fired power plants.