VALDOSTA — The Lowndes County Commission is poised to voice its opposition to the construction of the Sabal Trail Pipeline in the county.

A resolution, that was written by County Chairman Bill Slaughter with feedback from most of the county commissioners, was sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last Friday.

“I sent out an email to the commissioners with the draft and said that if you have any additions or deletions you would like to add, you’re free to do it, and if you have any objections, you’re free to it, any comments.” Slaughter said. “At the end of the day, I ended with three commissioners having comments, and there were two that I didn’t hear anything from.”

Even though the missive has already been mailed, the resolution will not be formally voted on until the county commission’s next meeting in December.

According to Slaughter, the opposition centers around property rights of landowners affected by the pipeline, and not around pipelines as a whole.

“The resolution is in support of the property owners,” Slaughter said. “It’s not a resolution in condemnation of the gas line itself, and the resolution states that.

It is in support of the property owners that will be most affected by the pipeline coming through their property, and some concerns, not with all property owners, but with some property owners, and the very close proximity that they will have with their residences to the pipeline.”

In the resolution, the county commission also expresses concern for Clyattville Elementary School, which is located near the pipeline, close enough to be considered in a “potential blast zone” in the event that the pipeline would experience a failure. At the last public meeting of the County Commission Nov. 11, several citizens expressed vehement opposition to the pipeline, with one resident, Dr. Michael Noll, requesting that the commission draft a resolution in opposition to the project.

Lowndes County is the third county in the state to issue a resolution in opposition to the pipeline, following Dougherty County and Terrell County.

Colquitt County also issued its own resolution, requesting the pipeline be constructed with at least five feet of ground cover.