Irony of PennEast grants

It is ironic that within the article on the PennEast/UGI Community Connector Grant awards (April 25) it states the grants are given to "Conserve important local habitat, enhance open space, recreational areas and wildlife habitat, and preserve community culture and heritage" among other criteria.

In order to build this pipeline, PennEast/UGI will need to destroy areas in Hickory and Beltzville State Park, the very things they state they want to conserve and enhance. It will cut through well-used hiking trails, fishing and swimming holes. Beltzville, in particular, will see this pipeline cut through the Christman Trail, Cove Ridge Trail and Preachers Camp Trail - 100 feet wide and in some spots up to 300 feet wide to accommodate work space. This line also will run within spitting distance of the Bethlehem Water Authority's line which supplies the drinking water to Allentown and Bethlehem. Why is this even being considered?

And the impact on landowners is heartbreaking. They will lose their community's culture and heritage; lands they earn their livelihoods from and hoped to preserve for the future will be taken away because landowners do not have the right to say no. There is only the threat of eminent domain if one does not cooperate. If PennEast is given easement rights, it is theirs forever. They can put in additional pipelines, enter the property whenever they please, do whatever they please on it, and can even sell the rights to another. The additional kick in the pants is that landowners have to pay the property taxes on the land.

PennEast/UGI are not good stewards of the land, habitat, community culture and heritage.

The PennEast pipeline is not for the public good, and it stinks of profits to be made by a private company.

Lucy Freck

Towamensing Township