After a push from local legislators, Kinder Morgan now will have a public input meeting in North Augusta regarding the Palmetto Project fuel pipeline.
Melissa Ruiz, the manager of corporate communications of Kinder Morgan, said there will be a meeting, but many of the details have yet to be set in stone.
"We will be holding a meeting in South Carolina, but the location and date have not been set yet," she said.
S.C. Sen. Tom Young, R-Aiken, and S.C. Rep. Bill Hixon, R-North Augusta, led the charge on getting an input session in Aiken County.
Young confirmed that Kinder Morgan has agreed to hold a meeting in North Augusta and that all parties are working toward finalizing a time and date.
Young and Hixon reached out to Kinder Morgan earlier in the month to request the meeting.
The Palmetto Project includes a proposed 360-mile fuel pipeline that will run from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, through Belton, South Carolina, and then through North Augusta and on to Jacksonville, Florida.
The pipeline could carry a capacity of 167,000 barrels of fuel per day.
Tonya Bonitatibus, executive director for the Savannah Riverkeeper, has been a key voice in the Push Back The Pipeline initiative.
She said it was "fantastic news" for the legislators in North Augusta to get involved in the issue.
"We're hoping it won't be another fake hearing from Kinder Morgan," she said. "We're very happy that legislators have taken that step, and it shows that they care about their citizens. As far as what we can tell, eminent domain in South Carolina requires no public hearing from the state. That's even scarier than Georgia. ... We have a ways to go, but we're happy Aiken County has taken these steps."