Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland visited Wilmington Tuesday to congratulate the companies, workers, property owners and communities involved in construction of the Rockies Express Pipeline, which he called “one of the major pipeline projects in the history of our country.”

Rockies Express Pipeline is a 1,679-mile natural gas pipeline system stretching from Rio Blanco County in Colorado to Monroe County in east Ohio. Crews are currently laying natural gas pipe in Clinton County and elsewhere in Ohio.

Doug Walker, president of Rockies Express (REX), said the company is engaged in laying “the final leg” of the project.

“We have established service in western Ohio and by the end of the year we will have service established in the eastern part of the state,” he said.

The governor arrived shortly after 3 p.m. at the Wilmington REX/Price Gregory Construction headquarters on West Curry Road north of Wilmington. There to greet him were workers, farmers and property owners from several states, including Oregon, Texas, Arkansas, North Carolina, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, as well as Ohioans from Clinton County and elsewhere.

Wearing a Rockies Express cap, Strickland said in his prepared remarks that the pipeline is being laid in Ohio at the rate of approximately one-quarter mile per day. Employing approximately 2,500 workers, the $6.7 billion project has generated $30 million to $40 million in tax revenue for Ohio.

That tax revenue includes $1.7 million in Clinton County; $4.1 million in Warren County; $2.9 million in Fayette County; and $300,000 in Greene County.

“This project is a significant investment in the nation and state infrastructure,” Strickland said.

The boon to local economies due to this project includes millions of dollars that REX is pumping into local businesses for equipment, materials, and other supplies and purchases. The pipeline project has been good for local restaurants, motels and other retailers in Wilmington, Clinton County and elsewhere.

“When things were pretty low, the Rockies Express Pipeline came through, giving us a boost when we needed it,” Wilmington Mayor David Raizk said. “They have helped us through very bad times.”

The mayor praised the project for making available “good, cheap, American natural gas” which will benefit the country for years to come.

Strickland commended Wilmington and Clinton County government officials and residents for facing the current economic challenges with “grace and courage.”

“The recovery will come,” he said.

In addition to Mayor Raizk, Clinton County Commissioners Randy Riley and Michael Curry, Wilmington College President Dan DiBiasio and Wilmington News Journal Publisher Pamela Stricker greeted the governor.

The Rockies Express Pipeline originated because of the “plentiful natural gas” reserves in the Rocky Mountain region, Walker said. Rockies Express is a joint venture of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, Sempra Pipelines and Storage, and Conoco Phillips.

The REX-East portion of the pipeline, including the Clinton County portion, is a 638-mile pipeline that stretches from Audrian County, Mo., to Monroe County, which is bordered by the Ohio River on the eastern part of the state.

When completed, the natural gas pipeline will carry approximately 1.8 billion cubic feet for natural gas each day and continue to generate tax revenue and jobs for the local economies through which it passes, Allen Fore, director of community Relations for Rockies Express, said. The pipeline will link to a hub that transports natural gas from the Rocky Mountains to Columbia Gas of Ohio, Dominion Resources, Inc., Vectren and two other transmission firms, he said. Officials hope that the project will lead to lower natural gas prices and heating bills for homeowners and businesses in the state.