Shrewsbury Township will host a public meeting with representatives of Williams, the company that is proposing to install a natural gas pipeline across southern York County.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Shrewsbury Township Building, 11505 Susquehanna Trail South.

Williams transports 12 percent of the natural gas used in the United States, most of it to utility companies such as power plants, company representative Chris Stockton said.

The company is proposing a 250-mile extension of its Transco pipeline that would run from Ohio to York County and would run through eight counties in southern Pennsylvania, including York and Adams.

"We are in the initial stages, and nothing has been finalized. We are doing the preliminary work talking to people and making sure there is sufficient customer support to justify the extension," Stockton said.

Survey crews are currently conducting field studies and gathering information for the proposed connection, but construction is not likely to begin until 2011, he said.

Before work can begin, Williams must obtain Federal Energy Regulatory Commission certification and state and local permits and hold a series of public meetings and workshops to explain the project and answer questions, Stockton said.

The line is proposed to pass through agricultural areas and Williams is very sensitive to farmers' concerns, Stockton said.

"There are a lot of regulations in place, a lot of things we have to do to

protect the farmland and to make sure the land is as productive as it was before we got there. Top soil is segregated, the land is de-compacted after the work is completed and we come back and inspect to make sure everything was done correctly," he said.

The pipeline is buried at a minimum of 3 to 5 feet to avoid interfering with farming practices, he said.

The extension, known as the Rockies Connector, will bring natural gas from the Rocky Mountains. It is part of the larger Northeast Supply proposal and would connect Williams' Transco Station 195 in York County to the eastern terminus of the Rockies Express pipeline in Monroe County, Ohio, he said.

AT A GLANCE

--- What: A public meeting to discuss a proposal to install a natural gas pipeline across southern York County

--- When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

--- Where: Shrewsbury Township Building, 11505 Susquehanna Trail South

More information: www.williams.com/rockiesconnector