DEP Will Hold Compressor Meetings Next Week
Concerned about compressor stations, after this month’s explosion at a Susquehanna County facility? The Department of Environmental Protection is holding two public hearings on the issue next week: one in Wyoming County, the other in Susquehanna.
The accident at the Springville Township station has shed light on Pennsylvania’s regulatory mishmash. The facility resumed operations without approval from DEP, and as the Inquirer has reported, didn’t really fall under the Public Utility Commission’s jurisdiction.
More on the upcoming compressor meetings, from the Times-Tribune:
Department of Environmental Protection officials who will be hosting the events said they have not seen an uptick in interest in the public hearings since the explosion at Williams Partners’ Lathrop station in Springville Twp. DEP published a news release for the second hearing on Monday and spokeswoman Colleen Connolly expected to see more response after that.
But an organizer of a recent Wyoming County informational event about one proposed station and an environmental group urging stricter air pollution controls at all of the stations said public interest in the facilities is growing.
“In the wake of this explosion, especially, I think a lot more people will be coming out to the hearings than before,” Matt Walker, a community outreach coordinator with the Clean Air Council, said.
Each event will combine a public meeting with an official public hearing during which comments on the proposed air quality permits will be recorded.