Story By Katie Hightower
In November 2024, the Jackson County Commission adopted Jackson County’s Economic Resiliency Plan (JCERP). The plan was created to evaluate predicted growth for the county and identify infrastructural needs to accommodate the growth. One challenge that was presented in the JCERP was the need for an expanded and increased natural gas supply.
After analysis by both Jackson County leaders and other leaders across North Alabama, it was discovered that the need for an expanded natural gas supply wasn’t solely a Jackson County issue. The issue affected counties across North Alabama as increased population was predicted for the entire region.
In order to better plan for infrastructural solutions to bring more natural gas into the region, the North Alabama Public Energy District was created. The Water, Sewer and Gas board of the City of Scottsboro was the first to join the district. The City of Athens voted to join on July 14 and the City of Huntsville joined on July 24.
“We are currently trying to analyze the feasibility of bringing a pipeline to North Alabama,” said Jimmy Green, General Manager of Scottsboro WSG. “That’s why the three cities have formed together to do the study, see if the economics work for the area and also the customers and potential customers of that line.”
“We’ve been looking at this for well over a year,” said Jackson County Commission Chairman Bill Nance. “We’re seeing growth across the whole Tennessee Valley and though we realized that for us to be able to support and sustain growth over the next 15 years, we have got to make some adjustments in our infrastructure. Natural gas is one of the most serious issues.”
The North Alabama Public Energy District was the first step of many to complete the needed analysis of what could be done to solve the increased demand for natural gas. The district will have its own board of directors and management structure. It will also give other municipalities and entities the opportunity to join the district. The district will include DeKalb, Jackson, Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison and Marshall Counties.
“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity, not just for Scottsboro and Jackson County but for all of North Alabama,” said Mayor Jim McCamy of Scottsboro. “We’re at a point were we’ve got to come up with more natural gas and this looks to be the most viable option at this point and it’s going to have a huge impact on the current and future economic development — particularly for us.”
Green added, “And I dare to say across the whole region. I mean, we’ve all had industrial growth and you can tell Huntsville’s growth just by the drive over there. I would say all of us will reap the benefit.”
Green said there was potential to double the supply of natural gas to the region. However, more work must be done to analyze it and figure out the best route for the future. He said it was a “historical deal” that will affect every community in North Alabama and their economies will benefit and prosper if it goes through. “If we do it correctly, and I think that we will, we will have options for a long time that would take us a long ways into the future.”
