Decision on South Hall natural gas facility tabled

A decision on a proposed natural gas facility in South Hall is on hold.

The Hall County Board of Commissioners (BOC) tabled its vote to April 8 following a Thursday (March 27) public hearing over the facility proposed for 22.5 acres at 4212 Roy Parks Rd. near Hwy. 60 (about 10 miles north of downtown Braselton). Applicant Clean Eagle RNG, LLC, seeks a rezoning from agricultural and highway business to planned industrial development to proceed with this project.

According to planning documents, Clean Eagle proposes using the facility as a decanting station to inject renewable natural gas into the onsite pipeline and unload natural gas from it. This injection facility would process compressed natural gas from the Eagle Point landfill in Ball Ground, transporting it to this site for decompression and injection into the Liberty pipeline.

Commissioner Gregg Poole motioned for the postponement, noting that the only other similar facility was in South Dakota.

“I think it would be an injustice for us to pass anything if we haven’t seen or laid eyes on it,” he said.

Poole also said he was concerned because the applicant’s presentation varied too much from its initial version.

“Which makes me have pause and hesitation because it changed so much,” he said.

The applicant also requested to postpone the vote.

No one spoke against the project during Thursday’s public hearing.

The Hall County Planning Commission recommended denial of this proposal in January following a public hearing. The closeness of the site to Myers Elementary School and two churches prompted the planning commission to recommend against the project.