Lower Saucon Township Council is scheduled to consider adopting a resolution opposing the proposed PennEast natural gas pipeline at its meeting Wednesday.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in Lower Saucon Town Hall, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bethlehem, and members of the public are encouraged to attend and voice their concerns during a public comment period that will be held.
So far only a few local municipalities have voted to oppose the pipeline project, including Moore Township, Northampton County, and Riegelsville borough, Bucks County.
In their resolution opposing the pipeline, Riegelsville council members said “the construction and operation of the pipeline will significantly damage protected streams, wildlife habitat, existing farm operations, and the quality of life in Riegelsville Borough.”
“The Riegelsville Borough Council seeks the cooperation of other similarly located and affected municipalities, asking that all nearby affected municipalities adopt a similar resolution,” the resolution also states.
A portion of a PennEast-supplied map shows the route of a proposed natural gas pipeline/lateral sub-pipeline through Lower Saucon Township, and the individual land parcels located along it.
Last month several Lower Saucon Township landowners whose properties could be bisected by the pipeline voiced opposition to the controversial project, which is intended to deliver natural gas from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region to central New Jersey.
Updates about the project and upcoming meetings are also regularly posted under “News” on the homepage, where a link can be found to a new mapping tool designed to help residents and other stakeholders keep tabs on the proposed pipeline route.
In a letter from PennEast’s Alisa E. Harris recently posted on the township website, it was explained that the company is “still in the very early stages of the routing and regulatory process,” which is why the route has not yet been finalized.
As route changes are made, affected landowners are being informed, Harris wrote.
The current proposed route brings the main pipeline across the northeastern corner of Lower Saucon Township in the area of Redington Road. A two-mile arterial pipeline commonly referred to as the “Hellertown lateral” would divert from the main line to a UGI substation along Easton Road near the I-78 overpass.
Last week it was also announced that as part of the lengthy governmental review process required for these types of projects, federal energy regulators have scheduled five public hearings on the pipeline to help assess its potential environmental impact.
The only hearing that will be held in the Lehigh Valley will take place Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at Northampton Community College, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem.
The full agenda for Wednesday night’s meeting is posted on the Lower Saucon Township website.
