Comments invited on pipeline expansion

New line to accommodate Marcellus Shale production

By TOM KANE

WAYNE & PIKE COUNTIES, PA - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is inviting the public to comment on a proposed pipeline expansion by the Tennessee Pipeline Company.

The commission announced the opening of the scoping process, which will be used to gather input from the public and other interested agencies on Tennessee’s plan to expand its line in Wayne and Pike counties.

FERC held three public sessions on February 24, 25 and 26 in Vernon, NJ, Montrose, and Mansfield. Anyone who did not attend these meetings can send their comments in writing by email or post before March 6, when the scoping process will be completed. The company held an open house on January 6 at the Settlers Inn in Hawley.

“Your comments should focus on the potential environmental effects, reasonable alternatives and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impacts,” said Kimberly Bose, secretary of the commission. “The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be.”

The company plans to install approximately 128.4 miles of 30-inch pipe in seven separate looping sections ranging from 14.6 miles to 22.5 miles in the Pennsylvania counties of Potter, Tioga, Bradford, Susquehanna, Wayne and Pike and the New Jersey counties of Sussex and Passaic. It also plans to construct a new 15,000 horsepower compressor station in Venango, modification to an existing meter station in Bergen County, NJ and modification of seven compressor stations, one of which is in Pike County.

“The new line will parallel the existing line, which will remain in operation and utilize the same right-of-way,” said Richard Wheatley, public relations director for ElPaso Pipeline of Houston, TX, which owns the Tennessee Company. “The current pipe is 24 inches in diameter. The purpose of the loops is to give the line additional capacity to accommodate the expected gas, which will be produced by the Marcellus Shale field in Pennsylvania,” he said. “The new line will have the capacity to carry 300 million cubic feet a day.”

“It’s too early for us to make pointed comments, but we have many concerns, which we will be expressing,” said Susan Beecher, director of the Pike County Conservation District. “We want to know how much earth will be disturbed and how many trees will be cut down, as well as how they will cross wetlands and streams. Will they need to expand the right-of-way? We don’t know. They answer our questions by saying that they are not far enough along to be able to answer.”

As a result of the scoping sessions, the FERC will prepare an environmental assessment that will outline the environmental impacts that could result from the construction and operation of the pipeline. The project is an expansion of its existing 300 Line pipeline in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Comments should be sent so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before March 6. Comments may be sent electronically by using the Quick Comment feature or the eFiling feature that can be found on the commission’s internet website at www.ferc.gov under the link to Documents and Filings.

Two copies of written comments must be mailed to Kimberly Bose, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St. NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.