SEPT. REPORT TO CARBON COUNTY STAKEHOLDERS
By SAVE CARBON COUNTY
PennEast/UGI Pipeline Project- Prepared 9/30/21
PennEast has announced the news that the PennEast pipeline project has
been dropped. Their announcement explained, “…following extensive evaluation
and discussion, we have recently determined further development of the project
no longer is supported. Accordingly, PennEast has ceased all further development
of the project. This is great news for landowners and environmentalists who have
been fighting the pipeline for seven years. The company has dismissed 70
Eminent Domain cases against landowners in PA and has announced that they will
not pursue Eminent Domain against the State of New Jersey for 42 state-
preserved or owned parcels. This means that the PennEast Certificate approved in
2018 and slated to expire in January of 2022 will be invalid.
If the PennEast company decides to pursue any part of the pipeline, they will be
required to go through the entire Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
process and reinstate Eminent Domain procedures from the beginning.
This pipeline would’ve emitted 49 million tons of greenhouse gases each year, the
equivalent of 14 coal plants and 10 million cars. The Kidder Compressor station alone
would have emitted over 100 tons of pollutants each year including formaldehyde and
nitric oxide. And the pipeline would have devastated two of our recreational jewels–
Hickory Run and Beltzville State Parks.
The pipeline’s goal was to take gas to New Jersey. It was never planned to provide
residential service in our county or in Pennsylvania. Yes, it would’ve provided a cheaper
gas source to a development project at the Blue Mountain Ski Resort but that project
was planned well before the pipeline received federal approval and plans to develop
Blue Mountain will go forward according to the company.
As for cheaper gas: PennEast would have increased costs for customers because the
rate payers would have paid for the cost of the pipeline plus interest on top of their
monthly bill. With or without the pipeline, residents will see an increase in their
residential gas bills. Why? The United States now allows gas companies to export,
forcing stateside customers to compete with European gas rates which are up to four
times our U.S. rates. Does anyone believe that PennEast gas would have stayed in the
U.S.?
Save Carbon County is a member of a regional and two-state effort to stop the PennEast/UGI pipeline.Local information can be found on FaceBook at “Stop the Fracking Pipeline.” Regional Information can be found on FaceBook at “Stop PennEast Pipeline.”
HALT PennEast 