Relocate more than 100,000 turtles, frogs and snakes. Rescue two adult Blanding’s turtles and a nest of eggs for future release. Plant a special pollinator mix of seeds to restore more than 550 acres of wild and wetlands areas for habitat where pipeline was buried. Place wildlife-friendly erosion blankets. Recycle wood waste as mulch. And employ a vehicle wash procedure to help prevent invasive species from being brought into the area on construction equipment.
These are just a few of the environmental accommodations Consumers Energy undertook while completing construction of the Saginaw Trail Pipeline, a four-year, $610 million project to upgrade natural gas pipelines and infrastructure in the Michigan counties of Saginaw, Genesee and Oakland.
“Our efforts focused on the environment to ensure that we left it better than we found it while modernizing our natural gas system,” Dennis Dobbs, vice president of enterprise project management for Consumers Energy, told American Gas. “We were proud to partner with local communities and entities, like the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge and Huron-Clinton Metropark Authority, that were integral to the successful completion of this project.”
In addition to replacing pipeline, crews also rebuilt city gate facilities where gas pressure is regulated for safe delivery to homes and businesses. —Carolyn Kimmel