DEP holds public hearing on natural gas liquids pipeline

The state Department of Environmental Protection held a public hearing Tuesday night in Lebanon to discuss infrastructure related to a interstate natural gas liquids pipeline.

Philadelphia-based Sunoco Logistics is re-purposing an existing line to ship natural gas liquids, such as propane and ethane, from western Pennsylvania to the Marcus Hook refinery in Philadelphia.

The so-called Mariner East 1 pipeline is already partially operational, and Sunoco is seeking DEP permits to operate necessary pump stations to help move the liquids.

At Tuesday’s hearing the DEP took public comments on a pending operating permit for one of the pump stations, in Cornwall Township, Lebanon County. It’s one of 16 such facilities needed along the route. The DEP estimates the air emissions from the pump station– including emissions from equipment leaks and operation of an enclosed flare– will be 0.25 tons per year of volatile organic compounds, 0.01 tons per year of nitrogen oxide and 0.2 tons per year of carbon monoxide.

“Those are low-level,” says department spokeswoman Lisa Kasianowitz. “Nonetheless, we still have to know their emissions and make sure they adhere to the limits.”

The pump stations and the pipeline have sparked controversy in some communities. Kasianowitz said the department received nearly 400 requests to hold the Lebanon hearing.

Last week, Sunoco held its own public forum in Lebanon to discuss the Mariner East 2 line (a proposed parallel pipeline). Spokesman Jeff Shields says the company is trying to answer people’s questions.

“We’ve told people along the line that the pump stations are designed not to have a large impact on the community,” says Shields. “The emissions have been deemed not significant by the DEP.”

About 60 people turned out for the Lebanon hearing. Many of them spoke in support of the pipeline and its economic benefits, while others worried about environmental degradation.

The first person to advocate for the project was former DEP press secretary, Kevin Sunday. He’s now a lobbyist for the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.

“On one end of the state it supports hundreds of drilling jobs,” Sunday said of the project. “On the other end of the state, a refinery is being re-purposed to put hundreds of people to work and create even more manufacturing opportunities in an area that desperately needs jobs.”

Organic farmer Phil Stober spoke out against the project. His property borders the pipeline route and he believes it could threaten his livelihood.

“All it needs is one accident, and I’m out of business,” says Stober. “In marketing and sales, perception is reality. If people think my fields are 800 feet from a gas line, they’ll say, ‘How organic can you be?’ So, that troubles me.”

The DEP is accepting public comments on the Cornwall Township pump station until February 24th and is evaluating whether to hold more meetings in other parts of the state affected by the line.

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