PennEast pipeline opponents testify in NJ

Members of Save Carbon County traveled to New Jersey on Thursday to urge the Delaware River Basin Commission to deny permission for a pipeline set to run through parts of Pennsylvania.

Save Carbon County President Linda Christman of Lehighton said 26 members of the group convened at the DRBC offices in New Jersey.

In her personal testimony, Christman asked the commission not to allow for early tree felling before PennEast has acquired all permits necessary to build its pipeline.

“Since this pipeline will never be built, that would mean substantial damage to the watershed for no purpose,” Christman said.

She asked that the commission ensure PennEast provide complete and factual information before considering the pipeline application, and that the commission consider the possible impacts the pipeline could have on the water in the basin it protects.

Christman also asked that the DRBC consent to meet with landowners and residents within the purview of the pipeline.

Although Thursday’s meeting was simply a time for public comment, the DRBC had already acted on its shared concern about tree felling, according to a release from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

The Delaware River Network said that the commission wrote a letter to FERC on April 3, requesting the agency modify its PennEast certificate to inhibit tree felling within the basin’s perimeter until the DRBC has granted permission for the project.

FERC did not respond to the commission’s letter, according to the release.

But as reported by State Impact Pennsylvania, a FERC spokeswoman claimed it was because the request was sent to an official in the Office of Energy projects, rather than the agency’s secretary, Kimberly Bose.

The pipeline

In January, the FERC granted PennEast a certificate of public convenience and necessity, enabling the construction and operation of its proposed pipeline, which is set from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, to Mercer County, New Jersey.

Less than a month later, PennEast filed 44 eminent domain lawsuits in federal court, 11 of which were for properties in Carbon County.

But PennEast’s progress has been slowed in part due to objections in New Jersey.

On Feb. 1, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection sent the company a letter rejecting its freshwater wetlands permit and federal water quality certification application, and the state also refused an offer from PennEast to purchase land needed for the pipeline’s construction.

Construction for the pipeline is slated to begin in 2019.

Other testimony

Along with Christman, other members of Save Carbon County addressed the DRBC on Thursday to make public their plight concerning the pipeline.

Roy Christman co-owns a farm that he said is protected by the Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation program.

He believes his preserved farm, along with another one in his township, are being targeted because they cannot be developed, and subsequently are worth less than unpreserved farmlands.

“Preserved farms, state parks and municipal watersheds, all beneficial to the health of the Delaware River watershed, are also the most likely areas to be targeted for a pipeline route,” Roy Christman’s testimony read. “My recommendation to the DRBC is simple. Say no to the PennEast pipeline.”

Lucy Freck of Towamensing Township told the DRBC, “The watershed and reservoirs provide drinking water to the city of Bethlehem, two boroughs and seven townships. This watershed through Beltzville Dam serves multiple purposes, including the development for water supply, flood control and recreation. The impact on water quality, the environment and recreation is far-reaching, well beyond Carbon County.”

For Carolyn Lange, another member of Save Carbon County, the pipeline is a threat to her home, nature and even the future.

“We fight because we know that if we do not, something very special will be altered forever,” Lange wrote in her statement.

“We fight PennEast because we are willing to stand up and say, ‘This is wrong!’ Wrong for us living now, and wrong for every generation that follows us.”

After the meeting, Christman said that while no action was taken immediately, it was still productive.

“I do think that the commissioners were attentive,” she said. “We do feel like they heard us.”

Over time, Save Carbon County has maintained the position that PennEast’s pipeline will not be built. Christman said she remains steadfast in that belief.

“After four years of fighting it, I’m the most optimistic I’ve been,” she said. “Of course, there’s a lot of work to do still.”