Green Mayor On Nexus: 'We Were Out Of Options'

The mayor of Green says he’s not satisfied with a $7.5 million settlement over the construction of the Nexus pipeline through his city, but said it was the best they could hope for.

“I just know we were out of options," Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer said Thursday.

He negotiated the settlement that was accepted by city council in a 4-3 vote Wednesday night.

On top of the $7.5 million payment, Green will also receive 24-hour monitoring of the 8 miles of natural gas pipeline in the city’s limits. In exchange, the city must drop its four outstanding lawsuits.

Neugebauer said the city was forced into the settlement after a federal court granted Nexus eminent domain.

“I think what the residents think is that our settlement in some way says, go ahead and build it," he said. "That ship sailed long ago. They were building the pipeline, it was going through our city, we have no say in the matter."

"It was merely an issue of could we put in certain safety precautions, could we do certain things that would make it safer for our residents.” 

The 255-mile pipeline will stretch through Ohio and into Michigan.