Transcript Slide 1
Health and Environmental Impacts of Transmission Pipeline Infrastructure Prepared for Citizens Meeting Dallas, PA September 17, 2014 Sam Koplinka-Loehr Clean Air Council Presentation Overview • Introduction • Pipeline Specifics • Air, Land, and Water Impacts • Organizing Resources Bob Donnan Clean Air Council Marcellus Shale Program • • • • Lawsuits against polluters or agencies Track current rulemaking and write comments on regulations Work with residents to comment and testify on gas infrastructure Community actions to achieve goals outside of regulatory pathways Why Pipelines? • Luzerne County is a “gas gateway” from the shale fields to national markets and export facilities • Current Marcellus shale production is 14.5 billion cubic feet/day • Industry all-of-the-above strategy for pipelines in Pennsylvania Source: http://www.ogj.com/articles/uogr/print/volume-2/issue-3/marcelluscontinues-to-defy-expectations-driving-us-gas-production-ever-higher.html Leidy Southeast Expansion • Williams Transco • On August 11, FERC issued the Environmental Assessment for the project • 30 miles of pipeline • 42” pipeline diameter • 1 billion cubic feet/day Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline • Williams Transco • In pre-filing review with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) • 180 miles of pipeline • 30-42 inch pipeline • 1.7 billion cubic feet/day PennEast Pipeline • PennEast Pipeline Company is a joint venture between AGL Resources, NJR Pipeline, South Jersey Industries and UGI Energy Services • “Open season” just finished • 100 miles of pipeline • 42” pipeline diameter • 1 billion cubic feet/day Diamond East Pipeline • Williams Transco • Currently in “open season” • 50 miles of pipeline looping and additional compressors • 1 billion cubic feet/day Impacts to the Air Fugitive Emissions/Leakages • In a study accepted last month, researchers at three universities found methane leakage rates from shale gas drilling at 10 and 9 percent of production for the Bakken and Eagle Ford shale formations, respectively Sources: EPA; Schneising et al. 2014, “Remote sensing of fugitive methane emissions from oil and gas production in North American tight geologic formations” Available online: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014EF000265/pdf Shale Gas Infrastructure Pollutants 42-inch Pipeline Compressor Stations • Spectra Algonquin Pipeline Stony Point Compressor Station Emissions: School Bus Equivalent Impacts to the Land Forests • Nature Conservancy predicts upwards of 150,000 acres will be impacted in the next two decades for pipeline construction • Pipelines exacerbate forest fragmentation Farms & Animals • Topsoil disturbances for farmers • Permanent rightof-way changes animal pathways and movement Rivers and Streams • Open cuts across streams and tributaries • Erosion and sedimentation affecting fish and stream life Pennsylvania Constitution Section 27 “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.” Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) FERC Engagement • Comment – it’s free! http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp • Intervene – it’s free! http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp • Know Your Rights – it’s free! http://tinyurl.com/carolynelefant http://cleanair.org/knowyourrights Organize! Organizing Tools A Pipeline Movement • Communities all along each pipeline are organizing from Susquehanna County to Lancaster, Berks to New Jersey Resources: • gdacoalition.org • cleanair.org/pipelines Landowners take over Williams open house at Millersville University earlier this year, demanding answers to their questions. When no representative was willing to meet with them, landowners left together shouting “Go Home Williams” Right-Of-Ways on State Lands Contact Information • Sam Koplinka-Loehr 215.567.4004 x115 [email protected]