Natural gas pipeline to bring 1,350 jobs to Ark.

Gov. Mike Beebe joined state and local officials Monday to celebrate progress on a major pipeline in Arkansas that is part of the nearly $5 billion project for Boardwalk Pipeline Partners.

The Arkansas portion, called the Fayetteville Lateral, will provide about 1,350 jobs at peak construction on a payroll of $57 million. The Arkansas line begins in Conway County, where storms and tornadoes wreaked havoc just months ago. The governor said the pipeline project has made for "a brighter day" for a region that suffered so much loss last winter and spring.

Beebe said the project also will benefit the state and counties in tax revenues. The Arkansas pipeline will extend 167 miles through eight counties as it heads east to Lula, Miss. Part of the line could be opened in August, depending on the weather, Boardwalk officials said. The 36-inch pipes will move natural gas from the Fayetteville Shale formation to states in the Northeast, Southeast and Upper Midwest.

The Boardwalk project also calls for the construction of major transmission lines in Oklahoma and Texas. Boardwalk, which has offices in Houston and Owensboro, Ky., has more than 13,000 miles of pipeline.