SAVE BERNHEIM – STOP THE PIPELINE!

UPDATE: Kentucky Lantern Article – 5/20/24

Bernheim Forest appeals to Kentucky Supreme Court to stop pipeline in conservation easement

Dear Kentucky Heartwood members,

I am reaching out to you today with urgent news about a proposed pipeline construction that directly threatens our environment and the future of our natural landscapes. The proposed natural gas pipeline is located in Bullitt County, just south of Louisville and effects Bernheim Forest.

Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E) requested an easement from Bernheim Forest for the proposed Bullitt County Natural Gas Pipeline. The tracts known as the Cedar Grove Wildlife Corridor are subject to a conservation easement and deed restrictions prohibiting destruction of forests, streams and springs, and prohibiting the transfer of property by Bernheim for non-conservation purposes or the granting of easements for non-conservation purposes including natural gas pipelines. Alternative routes exist that would not destroy conservation lands.

The pipeline, initially estimated to cost $25 million, is now projected to require at least $74 million in construction costs alone, with decades of ongoing maintenance expenses that will ultimately be shouldered by current LG&E customers. This significant financial burden is simply not sustainable. Construction poses a direct risk to our water sources, with 71 stream crossings and over 6,000 feet of stream affected. It also threatens our landscape with landslides and sinkholes, presenting a clear danger of pipeline rupture and forest fire, as evidenced by recent events in Bullitt County.

This is not just a local issue; it’s part of the larger global climate crisis. We must hold LG&E accountable and demand that they cease building fossil fuel infrastructure that exacerbates this crisis. The increasing intensity of storms across our state and country underscores the urgency of transitioning away from such projects. The construction of this pipeline would violate Bernheim’s Conservation Easement, setting a harmful precedent for Kentucky’s environmental policies for decades to come.

In a December 2023 update from Bernheim’s Director of Conservation, Andrew Berry says, “there may still be a long way to go as LG&E continues its wide-ranging legal and regulatory battles while attempting to use condemnation to build the 12-mile pipeline across Bernheim and other unwilling landowners.” Berry shares that Bernheim filed a brief in September to appeal a loss in the condemnation lawsuit in Bullitt Circuit Court. The brief argues that LG&E must meet the statutory criteria to take the Bernheim property acquired with public funds, statutorily dedicated to public conservation use, and encumbered by a government-held conservation easement.  To read the rest of Berry’s update, click here.

Our call to action is simple. Please sign the online petition here and add your name to the growing list of opposition for this pipeline. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. You can learn more and take the deep dive on the pipeline proposal on Bernheim’s website.

FOR THE FOREST,

Whitney Hamblin

Membership Director