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FERC’s Flawed Conclusions Continue to Threaten Pennsylvanian Families & Environment - 

 

Inadequate Final Draft EIS Issued Today For Proposed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline

Bristol, PA - Today the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Transco’s 199.4 mile long natural gas pipeline project of which 196.9 miles would cut through Pennsylvania.  The project would also include two new compressor stations in Pennsylvania and other gas infrastructure. 

“As anticipated, once again FERC has used its rubber stamp to issue an incomplete, and inadequate Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that would jeopardize Pennsylvania communities for the benefit of the companies that they are funded by and supposedly regulating.  The conclusion that the project would not cause significant harm is not borne out by the facts.” Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper. 

The FERC notice states: “FERC staff concludes that approval of the project would result in some adverse environmental impacts; however, most of these impacts would be reduced to less-than-significant levels with the implementation of Transco’s proposed mitigation and the additional measures recommended in the final EIS.”   To date, Army Corps permits and Erosion and Sedimentation permits have not yet been issued for this pipeline project and agency comments submitted during the Draft EIS to FERC documented  large errors and omissions. 

Scientists who have been documenting similar pipeline assessments and harm since the overbuilding of pipelines has begun to tap into Marcellus shale and other markets to export gas out of Pennsylvania do not agree.  “Pennsylvanians are no fools to the spotty and vague so called mitigation measures that FERC says will limit harm from the building of the pipeline.  Time and time again we have monitored construction of these pipelines finding irreparable and lasting harms.  Time and time again upon field-truthing these proposed routes, important sensitive resources are often missed.  With agencies doing little ground-truthing themselves and strapped budgets, it is left up to citizen monitors to call out these gaps and inadequacies.” Faith Zerbe, Director of Monitoring, Delaware Riverkeeper Network. 

 

 

On December 2, 2016, 65 individuals including many local landowners harmed by gas pipelines testified in Washington DC to shine the light on all the harms that have been inflicted by FERC’s practices. The same inadequate FERC rules and logic would be used now for the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline if built.   The people’s hearing supported a request of 180 groups throughout the nation calling on the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee to investigate FERC and to reform the Natural Gas Act. For more info on the People’s Hearing:   http://bit.ly/2hAJp5U

 

The Final EIS is available on the FERC website for public review at www.ferc.gov under Docket No. CP15-138-000. Today the FERC website was largely down to query the EIS for most of the day with limited access to the documents until late this afternoon. The Commission decision for this proposed action is subject to a 30-day rehearing period.

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