Two groups unhappy with proposed route of natural gas pipeline in northcentral Pa. - PennLive

Two groups unhappy with proposed route of natural gas pipeline in northcentral Pa. - pennlive.com

Two organizations have expressed environmental concerns about the location of a proposed Pennsylvania General Energy Co. (PGE) natural gas pipeline and two water lines in northwestern Lycoming County.

Mid State Trail Association Inc. (MSTA) and the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited have proposed an alternate location for what is commonly known as a gathering line in Cummings and McHenry townships.

The Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled a July 2 virtual public hearing to accept testimony on PGE’s application for sediment control and water obstruction and encroachment permits.

Those unable to participate will have until July 22 to submit a written statement.

The project consists of 19,925 feet of 12-inch natural gas pipeline and two 19,887-foot-long 8-inch flexsteel waterlines within a permanent 30-foot right-of-way.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has given preliminary approval to the project as it relates to state forest land.PA DCNR

Nearly all of the project is on state game land with about 800 feet in Tiadaghton State Forest.

The pipeline route is adjacent to and crosses the Mid State Trail on sections between Hackett and Silver Springs roads north of Little Pine State Park.

Nine streams and a wetland containing wild trout will be impacted for distances ranging up to 55 feet by the open-cut installation.

The pipeline will link wells in that area with the Transco Leidy system, said PGE’s Tyson W. Ruhlman. It is an extension of existing development in the region, he said.

PGE has six wells drilled but not fracked and has plans for more well pads to the east of the proposed pipeline, he said.

Without the installation of this or similar lines there would be no way in which to transport the gas from completed wells to markets, he explained.

Development would be stymied and private landowners would miss out on production royalties, Ruhlman said.

The water line would connect with PGE’s Pine Creek system and greatly reduce traffic as wells are developed, he said.

PGE vetted six alternative routes, its general counsel Lisa McManus said.

The Trout Unlimited proposed alternative route is longer and likely would require compressor stations, Game Commission spokesperson Tim Haydt said. No compressor stations are required in the selected route, he said.

In approving the location the commission took into account the best way to minimize the project’s impact, he said. PGE is committed to restoration including tree planning, he said.

Plans are to do the stream crossings between Oct. 1 and April 1 so as not to affect the wild trout population, McManus said.

The trail, although parts might be temporarily relocated, will remain open, she said. PGE recognizes the aesthetic value of trail, she said.

“We recognize the oil and gas industry’s economic footprint in the area is formidable but believe the industry must also recognize and be sensitive to the fact that outdoor recreation and tourism is also a vital economic engine for north central Pennsylvania,” MSTA president Ed Lawrence stated in a letter to the Department of Environmental Protection.

The route as proposed “will have a significant, direct and detrimental impact” on the Mid State Trail, he wrote.

It will cross and degrade the corridor and scenery along a section that the current hiking guide describes as being “one of the most isolated sections of hiking trail anywhere in Penn’s woods,” he said.

“The Mid State Trail is used not just by day hikers and backpackers but also by hunters, fishers, bird watchers and mushroom gatherers along with the practitioners of the increasingly popular forest bathing,” Lawrence pointed out.

The Trout Unlimited route takes advantage of the availability of paralleling existing roads, eliminates numerous stream and wetland incursions and minimizes the need to unnecessarily raze several miles of standing forest habitat, he contends.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) has given preliminary approval to the project as it relates to state forest land.

“PGE has committed to being a good land steward, has sited the pipeline in a sustainable location, and has submitted thorough plans to construct the remaining pipeline segment,” an agency spokesperson said.

The Mid State Trail is known as Pennsylvania’s “longest and wildest” hiking trail. It stretches 300 miles between the Maryland and New York State borders. It is part of the Great Eastern Trail that goes between Alabama and a trail in New York State.

Those wishing to participate in the virtual hearing on July 2 are to contact Megan Lehman, DEP’s regional communications director in Williamsport, at meglehman@pa.gov or 570-327-3659 before noon on July 1.