Public meetings planned for proposed Marcellus gas pipeline
A Texas company is planning to hold public meetings in all 12 Pennsylvania counties through which its proposed 252-mile natural gas pipeline project would be built in April and May.
In a status report filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last week, the Houston-based Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Co. (Transco), an affiliate of Williams Partners, said it has met with state, county and municipal officials in the areas where the line would be constructed and plans to hold open house meetings in the 12 counties between April 23 and May 10. The meetings will be held on Mondays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m., but have not been scheduled yet.
Transco is seeking approval and a certificate of public convenience from FERC to build the “Natrium” line to transport Marcellus and Utica shale gas from an existing processing plant in York County to a proposed processing plant in Marshall County, W.Va. With lateral lines, processing plants and compressor stations, the company calls the undertaking the “Atlantic Access” project because it would deliver the gas to the Northeast and Gulf Coast. Construction would start in fall 2013 and finish by December 2014.
The certificate of public convenience would empower Transco to use eminent domain to acquire rights of way for the lines. Portions of the line would be built in existing right of ways for gas pipelines and overhead electrical transmission lines.
The 36-inch Natrium line would run through Greene and Fayette counties and the 36-inch Majorsville lateral line would run from the Natrium line through Greene County to the processing plant near Majorsville in Marshall County. A 24-inch Butler lateral line would run from a proposed processing plant in Butler County, through Allegheny and Westmoreland counties and connect to the Natrium line in Fayette County.
Transco has submitted draft erosion and sedimentation (E&S) control plans to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and conservation districts in each county. The E&S plans were reviewed with the DEP South Central and Southwestern district offices and are being revised based on input from those meetings, according to the filing.
Environmental surveys have been conducted on 64 miles of the proposed Natrium line route. The filing doesn’t include the results of those surveys, but it states the survey will resume on March 26.
An Indiana bat survey also is being conducted. Winter surveys are complete for about 33 miles of the 132 miles of potentially suitable winter habitats in the project’s path and no potentially suitable hibernation sites have been identified so far. Winter habitat surveys on all accessible properties should be finished by mid-April and summer habitat surveys and samplings should be completed in mid-May, according to the filing.
Cultural surveys conducted on 118 miles of the proposed Natrium line route have found 51 cultural sites, Transco reported.
In response to Transco’s filing, FERC asked the company to respond to a series of follow-up questions. Among other things, FERC wants to know the maximum pressure the gas lines can withstand, the sources of the gas, the intended method for crossing the Appalachian Trail, the width of the rights of way and reasons why some sections of right of way are wider than 75 or 100 feet.