Posted Sunday, January 20, 2013--- 6:39 pm

Residents of a small village in northwestern Wisconsin stand to benefit from a local employer's plan to build a new natural gas pipeline.

The residents will have a cheaper and more efficient option for heating and cooking and most of the $2 million pipeline cost will be picked up by Link Snacks. The growing company wants to expand its headquarters in Minong by about 30 percent and want to switch from liquid petroleum to natural gas.

The pipeline will come from a mainline station near Trego. The two communities are west of Hayward.

The Duluth News Tribune (http://bit.ly/WdPDFs ) says a letter to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission from the project contractor, We Energies, says construction could start this spring. Natural gas service could be available to the community by spring of 2014.

Copyright 2013: Associated Press