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(AP) -- The company that runs Georgia's main gas pipeline is hoping to expand its network to unclog a choke point between Louisiana and Atlanta.

But that means convincing the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and 500 landowners to grant access to property that runs through backyards in four counties. The pipe would be about a meter below the ground, but has the potential to cause fuel leaks, polluted water and decreased property values.  State officials are holding three public meetings in December about the pipeline expansion.  The new pipeline is expected to cost $3 billion and would be complete by 2012.  The new pipeline would run through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

But Colonial's president and chief executive officer, Norm Szydlowski, says only Georgia requires state-level oversight for such an expansion.

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