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| Natural gas project in pipeline |
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By ROBERTA FUGATE
rjfugate@njherald.com
VERNON — Plans continue for the expansion of an existing natural gas pipeline though the northern part of Sussex County.
Nearly 10 of the 128 miles of new 30-inch pipeline in Pennsylvania and New Jersey would pass through Vernon and Wantage. The project involves installing an additional segment of pipe beside the existing pipeline and connecting it at both ends, allowing more gas to be moved through the system.
The project also includes an upgrade to increase the horsepower at the existing compressor station located on Libertyville Road in Wantage.
The proposed route is preliminary. The majority of the pipeline used to transport natural gas would be underground. Typically, the pipeline is covered by a minimum of 3 feet of soil.
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of the El Paso Corp., based in Houston, is asking for survey permission, said Amy Dempster of the Princeton Public Affairs Group, which represents the gas pipeline company. “Until the surveys are complete, nothing is set in stone,” she said.
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will have a public meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 24, at Walnut Ridge Primary School, 625 county Route 517, Vernon, to seek input that will help staff members determine the issues that need to be evaluated in the environmental assessment of the project.
The purpose of the line expansion is to transport new natural gas supplies to serve the growing demand for natural gas in northeastern United States.
To minimize the impact from construction, the planned pipeline route generally will follow an existing Tennessee pipeline corridor wherever practical, Dempster said.
According to Richard Wheatley, manager of public relations for the El Paso Corp., once all of the project approvals have been received, construction could begin in the second half of 2010 and could be operational by November 2011.
Created: 2/14/2009 | Updated: 2/15/2009
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