TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner yesterday introduced a Senate Resolution objecting to and opposing the proposed PennEast Pipeline project, a 108-mile pipeline that would extend from northern Pennsylvania to Pennington, MercerCounty. The pipeline would run through local towns carrying Marcellus shale gas to natural gas customers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“This pipeline would not only disrupt the lives of our residents, it would put vital environmental resources at risk,” said Senator Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon). “We will not stand by as this company constructs a pipeline through our communities, affecting public water supplies and preserved lands, as well as our residents’ quality of life. It could also have a serious impact on property values in the area of the pipeline route. This project as proposed is wrong for our region, and as a state we must send that message.”
The resolution objects to and opposes the PennEast Pipeline project as proposed, because of the negative impact it could have on the environment and surrounding communities it will transgress. The resolution also urges the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reject the project for the same or other appropriate reasons. However, if FERC approves the project, the resolution states that it must grant the approval only after all of the environmental and other related concerns of the State and affected communities are addressed and satisfied and appropriate safeguards are put in place to protect the environment and surrounding communities.
The PennEast Pipeline Company has proposed a 108-mile, 36-inch diameter natural gas pipeline that will extend from Luzerne County in northern Pennsylvania to an interconnect with Transco’s pipeline near Pennington, Mercer County. The company has initiated the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pre-filing process and plans to file a formal application in the third quarter of 2015. If approved, pipeline construction could begin in spring 2017 and the pipeline could be operational in November 2017.