A proposed gas line in South Carolina is sparking a legal fight, with a pipeline company suing dozens of landowners who would not let survey crews onto their property.
The conflict has drawn broader notice because the pipeline is meant to supply a major new power plant proposed near the ACE Basin, one of the state's most ecologically important areas.
What happened?
According to The Post and Courier, Elba Express LLC, owned by Kinder Morgan, has gone to court against landowners in Hampton and Colleton counties who refused to allow property surveys.
Those surveys are preliminary work for a proposed 71-mile interstate gas line running from Screven County, Georgia, to unincorporated Canadys, South Carolina.
That pipeline would carry gas to Canadys Station, a planned 2,200-megawatt facility from Dominion Energy South Carolina and Santee Cooper at the site of a former coal plant on the Edisto River, The Post and Courier reported.
Kinder Morgan says the route is still preliminary and that survey work is needed before a final path can be chosen.
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In fall 2025, landowners began receiving letters asking for survey access. Another letter was later sent that winter to those who had not responded.
Later, company lawyers warned that court action would follow unless access was granted within 14 days.
In one letter, the company wrote, "While this option is available to ECC, it is not our preferred approach."
The Post and Courier reported that Allen Fore, Kinder Morgan's vice president of public affairs, said the survey requests apply to a 300-foot corridor, even though the company would need only a 50-foot easement to install the pipe. He said roughly 70% of landowners have allowed surveys so far.
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Why does it matter?
Landowners and foresters told The Post and Courier that a pipeline right-of-way could interfere with timber harvesting, limit equipment access, and create openings residents fear could lead to illegal dumping.
The project still faces federal and state review, and regulators could still alter the route as they consider environmental impacts.
Coal and natural gas plants can pollute the air and water that nearby communities rely on.
Environmental advocates say the gas plant would deepen reliance on fossil fuels.
What are people saying?
Savannah Riverkeeper Executive Director Tonya Bonitatibus said many landowners are firmly opposed.
"There's a good number of landowners that are (saying) 'over my dead body,'" she said. "And they seem to mean that pretty seriously."
Defending the push for access, Fore said, "You're running out of options to get in touch with people. Again, this will further that conversation."
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