WOOSTER, Ohio - Ohio State University will jump start a new project this fall thanks to a $200,000 donation.

Kinder Morgan, Inc. donated the money for a study of how natural gas pipeline installations affect Ohio cropland productivity.

Kinder Morgan, Inc. is a Houston-based corporation that owns or operates 84,000 pipelines.

The study, — which will be overseen by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences — will focus on soil disturbance caused by statewide pipeline installation.

Over the course of three years, the college will survey and take samples from 50 fields statewide, mostly in rural areas. Samples will be taken before and after pipeline installation.

Kinder Morgan, Inc. says the study will examine the effectiveness of their best practices to determine restoration alternatives the company and industry should follow.