What:              PennEast Pipeline Education Forum

When:             January 14, 2014, 7:00 p.m.

Where:           Palisades High School in Nockamixon

 

Gallows Run Watershed Association Reschedules Educational Forum on PennEast Pipeline

On Wednesday, January 14 at 7:00 p.m. the Gallows Run Watershed Association will host the rescheduled educational forum on the PennEast Pipeline at the Palisades High School. PennEast, Inc. is proposing to construct 108 miles of 36 inch pipeline from Luzerne County, PA to Mercer County, NJ.  The pipeline would cross from Pennsylvania into New Jersey under the Delaware River at Riegelsville, Bucks County.

Concerned members of the community will learn more about the project proposal, impacts on affected communities and the environment, upstream impacts of pipeline proliferation, the regulatory process for pipeline approvals, and what they can do to fight the pipeline.

Speakers include:

• Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper, PennEast Pipeline – Cumulative and Environmental Impacts, and Strategic Arguments for Challenging

• Lynda Farrell, Executive Director, Pipeline Safety Coalition ­- Pipeline Siting/Safety and Landowner Rights

• Sam Koplinka-Loehr, Clean Air Council, Taking Action to Reach Community Goals and Protect Public Health

• Karen Feridun, Founder, Berks Gas Truth – What You Can Do to Fight the Pipeline

• Charles Reichner, Sustainable Energy and Efficiency Strategies, and Living with Pipeline Construction

• Robert Gardner, Sierra Club Campaign Representative

 “While the pipeline companies want us all to believe we are powerless in the face of their onslaught, it is not true,” said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper.  “There are things that landowners, local governments, and the protectors of our public lands and natural resources can and should do.  The first thing is to get educated and get active, and that is what this forum is all about.”

 “Methane, the main ingredient of natural gas, is 86 times more efficient than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere in the 20 year time scale,” said Karen Feridun, Founder of Berks Gas Truth. “Methane leaks can and do occur at every point in production, transmission, processing, and distribution of natural gas, but mounting scientific evidence reveals that leaks are occurring at alarmingly high rates that outweigh any cleaner burning benefits of natural gas.”

“If approved, the PennEast pipeline would increase demand for fracking in Pennsylvania, impact tens of thousands of people along the entire route, and pollute our air, water, and soil in the Delaware River Watershed,” said Joe Minott, Esq., Executive Director of the Clean Air Council, “Already, every single community in New Jersey has passed a resolution of opposition to the pipeline, along with many townships in Pennsylvania. The people are standing up and demanding an end to polluting gas infrastructure.”

The PennEast Pipeline Company is currently contacting property owners and has submitted a pre-filing application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The public can submit comments on the pre-filing by using FERC’s website and the docket number PF15-1. PennEast plans to submit a formal application with FERC in 2015.

Gallows Run PennEast Release Final