Company donates $200,000 to rural fire departments
Midship Pipeline Co. executives on Wednesday donated $200,000 to 64 rural fire departments in eight counties along the path of their planned pipeline.
Each of fire departments received $3,125. Most of the donations were to voluntary fire departments funded by an annual grant of about $4,000 from the state Department of Agriculture.
“A lot of the money to repair trucks and equipment comes out of their own pockets. Volunteer guys fight from the heart,” said Buddy Myers, Region 9 director for the Volunteer Firefighters Association of Oklahoma. “Donations like this are very significant. They are very much needed and very much welcome.”
Myers said the donation is especially helpful because there are no requirements on how it can be spent.
“It will be used for the good of the fire department, which is good for the community, but because restrictions are not there, departments can use it for whatever they need,” he said.
If there were a spill or fire related to the planned Midship Pipeline, the local fire departments receiving the money would be the first responders. Myers, however, said that risk is slight.
“The Midship Pipeline is a transmission line, which is regulated by the (U.S.) Department of Transportation. The risk is very small because of the regulations in place,” he said. “But the fact that they’re wanting to step up and be partners with us is great.”
From SCOOP, STACK to the Gulf Coast
The pipeline is being developed by Houston-based Cheniere Energy, which filed an application with federal regulators in November 2016 and is in the permitting process. The $1 billion, 200-mile line would transport natural gas from Oklahoma’s STACK and SCOOP fields to southeast Bryan County, where it would connect to existing Cheniere lines that would transport the natural gas to the Gulf Coast.
Cheniere executive Matt Barr presented the checks Wednesday morning and said the donation is part of a broader effort to work with community leaders.
“It’s incredibly important for what we’re doing, going out and informing people in the community what the project is going to be and what it’s going
to bring to the communities,” said Barr, Cheniere’s director of government and public affairs.
“It’s incredibly important to have the partnership with local stakeholders — whether it’s elected officials, landowners, chambers of commerce and economic development groups — to inform them about the project and make sure they understand what’s coming in their communities.”
Working closely with local fire departments is especially important to that effort, Barr said.
“We don’t plan for there to be additional responsibilities for them, but it is a partnership with them so they understand what we’re doing and when we’re doing it and that we’re working together on it.”