Lee County seeking community input on private underground pipeline developments

DIXON — A renewable energy company is looking to build an underground biogas pipeline, and Lee County is seeking input from community members on such developments before crafting an ordinance that would regulate pipeline projects.

Ameresco approached the county about potentially building a private underground pipeline next to the Lee County Landfill, 1214 S. Bataan Road, to capture methane from the site and convert it into a renewable natural gas, said Alice Henkel, Lee County’s renewable energy coordinator.

The pipeline would move north on Corregidor Road and west on U.S. Route 30 to a connecting point with the Kinder Morgan energy pipeline.

The company, however, cannot petition the county for the project until an ordinance is in place that would allow and set the rules for a private underground pipeline.

The county has launched a pipeline survey to gather input from residents before creating an ordinance.

“Basically, we are trying to get public input early on in this process,” Henkel said. “We want to let as many people know this survey is out there.”

The survey can be found at the top of the homepage on the county’s website at countyofleeil.com and community members can contact the Zoning Office at 815-288-3643 for more information. The survey will run until April 29.

Hard copies of the survey can be found at the following locations:

- Lee County Zoning Office, 112 E. Second St., Third Floor, Dixon

- Amboy City Hall, 227 E. Main St., Amboy

- Winifred Knox Memorial Library, 112 S. Elm St., Franklin Grove

- Dixon Public Library, 221 S. Hennepin Ave., Dixon

- The Huddle Café, 802 Main St., Ashton

- Flanagan State Bank, 333 Chicago Rd., Paw Paw

- Leprechaun’s, 201 S. Second St., Harmon

- First State Bank, 2514 Johnson St., West Brooklyn