ANN ARBOR, MI -- The Washtenaw County Road Commission is asking a federal regulatory agency to deny an application for the

, claiming the company has been engaging in "bullying tactics" and ignoring safety concerns.

The proposed pipeline route runs through Ohio and into Michigan through Lenawee, Monroe and Washtenaw counties, and the Road Commission has concerns about certain aspects of it, though it maintains it's not trying to completely halt the project.

A U.S. Senate confirmation vote recently re-established a quorum on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, giving FERC the ability to take up consideration of projects such as the NEXUS pipeline. The project hasn't been approved yet.

Following the Senate's vote, Washtenaw County Road Commission Managing Director Roy Townsend raised concerns about NEXUS in a three-page letter to FERC on Aug. 7, urging the commission to deny the current project application.

Townsend said the pipeline would directly impact a significant number of roads in Washtenaw County. In many cases, he said, it creates serious safety concerns, while in other instances it would adversely affect the operation and maintenance of public roads.

The pipeline would travel through York, Augusta and Ypsilanti townships to connect at the Willow Station at Willow Run.

It also would connect with the existing Vector pipeline for transport to distribution hubs near Chicago and Ontario.

Anticipating eventual approval of the project, NEXUS has over the past year initiated a "pre-permit review process" with the Road Commission, Townsend said in his letter to FERC.

"While Nexus strives to appear cooperative, we regret that its actual willingness to recognize WCRC's lawful exercise of its statutory duties has been spotty at best," he wrote, arguing NEXUS has failed to meet its legal responsibility to cooperate with certain requirements.

In some instances, Townsend said, the Road Commission has agreed to relaxes certain standards and requirements for access to public roads and work in the public right-of-way.

"Nonetheless, Nexus continues its refusal to honor some important requirements, even where the cost of doing so would be insignificant," he wrote. "For example, Nexus actually refuses in several instances to provide basic engineering plans showing its proposed construction activities within public right-of-way.

"Nexus also insists on creating driveway access points at improper, unsafe locations, even where nearby, safe locations exist, and in violation of all published safety standards."

A spokesperson for the NEXUS project provided an emailed statement in response to a request for comment for this story.

"NEXUS strives to be a good neighbor and a positive part of the community," said Adam Parker, a spokesman with Enbridge. "NEXUS has been working with the Washtenaw County Road Commission for more than a year and a half and will continue to work in a cooperative manner to address any outstanding permitting matters."

The NEXUS project is a partnership of DTE Energy and Enbridge, which merged with Spectra Energy this year.

The project website states more than 350 route variations were evaluated and safety is a top priority.

Townsend said NEXUS has claimed the right to build new driveways at its chosen locations and to do so without clearing vision obstructions at the new driveways. He said that's a critical safety concern and NEXUS is being both irresponsible and unlawful.

"Most shockingly, Nexus has refused any responsibility even to assure that our public roads are cleaned up and repaired after Nexus' construction is completed," Townsend wrote, claiming NEXUS will not commit to requiring its contractors to make sure roads are kept clean by sweeping and picking up debris, or to resurface roads that are damaged during the pipeline construction.

"We find this position and attitude incompatible with the public interest and unworthy of an enterprise which seeks a license granting vast authority from an agency of the people," he wrote.

Townsend said Nexus continually invokes the doctrine of federal pre-emption to override local regulations, saying NEXUS overstates that authority and claims it can do whatever it wants.

"We know that is not accurate," he wrote. "We know that FERC certificates commonly require the holder to cooperate with state and local authorities. We know that pre-emption applies only where necessary to override local regulations which would unduly delay, hinder, prohibit, or seek to impost local jurisdiction over FERC-authorized activities."

Townsend maintains none of the permit requirements the Road Commission has submitted to NEXUS would conflict in any way with actual authority granted by FERC, nor would they hinder, delay or frustrate the NEXUS project in any meaningful way.

"The Washtenaw County Road Commission has no interest whatsoever in creating obstacles to the success of the Nexus project," he wrote. "Nexus would not be the first or second pipeline company to come through Washtenaw County. Our relations with all others have been far more respectful and satisfactory. Nexus seems to prefer intransigence, the public interest notwithstanding."

Townsend said it's for those reasons that the Road Commission urges FERC to deny the current application.

"Nexus should be required to satisfy FERC that it will in fact meet its obligations of real and good faith cooperation with WCRC and other state and local authorities," he wrote.

The Road Commission is not alone in receiving poor treatment from NEXUS, according to the Michigan chapter of the Sierra Club.

The environmental group, which opposes the NEXUS pipeline project, issued a press release on Friday, Aug. 11, citing Townsend's letter and also quoting Kathy Schoen, an owner of farmland along the proposed pipeline route in Washtenaw County.

"This is the same kind of arrogant and dismissive treatment landowners and local communities have received for their safety and property concerns," said Schoen, whose farm is in Augusta Township. "Nexus does and says whatever it takes to get what they want."

The Sierra Club argues concerns about road damage are well founded considering the collapse of M-50 in Lenawee County during Energy Transfer Partner's construction of the separate

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioner took a position

last year, arguing it's unnecessary and would have negative environmental, health and economic impacts. U.S. Rep. Dingell, D-Dearborn, also has

Nancy Shiffler, chairwoman of the Michigan Sierra Club's Beyond Natural Gas and Oil Committee, said her group is continuing to oppose the NEXUS project in hopes that FERC won't approve it.

She argues there isn't market support for the pipeline and NEXUS hasn't demonstrated public need for it.

The NEXUS project website states the pipeline would deliver 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas per day from receipt points in eastern Ohio to existing pipeline system interconnects in southeast Michigan.

"The lead developers for NEXUS have secured significant market interest in new natural gas supplies in Ohio, Michigan, Chicago and Ontario to provide increased energy diversity, security and reliability across these regions," the website states. "Specifically, the project will transport emerging Appalachian shale gas supplies directly to consumers in northern Ohio; southeastern Michigan; the Chicago Hub in Illinois; and the Dawn Hub in Ontario, Canada.

"By expanding access to natural gas in these markets, NEXUS will provide consumers across the region with affordable, cleaner-burning and domestically-abundant natural gas to help meet the growing demand for cleaner power generation, industrial and commercial use, and home heating."