Hearing held on compressor station
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JEFFERSON – Concerns about potentially harmful emissions and increased noise were expressed Tuesday by the four people who testified at a hearing by the state Department of Environmental Protection on a plan by Equitrans LP to expand its Jefferson Compressor Station.
Equitrans proposed expanding the station on Denny Hill Road in Jefferson Township by installing a new 16,301 horsepower natural gas turbine at the site for increased natural gas compression.
The informal conference and public hearing on DEP’s plan approval, which was arranged at the company’s request, drew about nine residents to the Jefferson Volunteer Fire Company fire hall.
The company currently has three, 4,735 horsepower natural gas fired engines at the site for gas compression, said Ted Charletta, manager of the compressor design group for EQT.
The new turbine, Charletta said, will employ “best available technology” to control emissions. It will be installed in an addition that will be built to an existing building to help reduce noise. Acoustical insulation on the building and silencers on the equipment will ensure noise levels comply with federal and township noise regulations, he said.
Mark Gorog, a DEP environmental engineer manager, said the company’s proposed plan complies with all applicable environmental regulations.
According to DEP, plant emissions with the additional turbine will remain below “major source” levels for all hazardous air pollutants except nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide equivalents.
Its potential to exceed emission levels for nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide equivalents will require the company to obtain a “Title V” operating permit once operations begin.
Gorog noted the potential to exceed designation does not mean the plant will exceed those levels, but could do so under a worst-case scenario. Obtaining the Title V permit will entail a review under a different set of regulations that are also stringent, he said.
Assurances the plant would meet required emission standards, however, did not relieve the concerns of the few families that live near it.
Karen and Dale Knisely moved to Ridge Road, about a third of a mile from the station, seven-and-a-half years ago. There were no gas compressor stations there at the time.
Now there are two: Equitrans’ Jefferson station and an ECA compressor station, which is within sight of their home.
“They took a nice rural area and have turned it into an industrial area,” Karen Knisely said.
The family is concerned about health issues associated with plant emission, she said. Her son now has developed chronic sinus problems and all members of the family have at times experienced dizziness and numbness to the lips, she said.
Then there is the noise “24/7,” she said. Noise levels measured at her porch have been as high as 40 and 50 decibels and have reached 70 decibels during gas blow-offs, making it impossible for the family to enjoy being outdoors around their home.
The existence of the two compression stations also will have a large impact on the value of their home, if they would chose to sell and leave, she said. And that they have considered: “It’s just not a pleasant place to live anymore,” she said.
Her husband, Dale Knisely, said the family had problems getting definite answers about just what kind of emissions are being released by the plants, noting their house is downwind from the Jefferson station. He also questioned why the companies were not required to do continuous air monitoring.
Beth Wallach of Gwynn Road, who lives about six-tenths of a mile from the station, said residents should know what is already in the air as well as the cumulative effect of the emissions from the compressor stations.
Air testing should be completed by an independent company, not Equitrans or the DEP, she said.
Wallach said she also is concerned about whether there will be increased noise from the plant. She said she can hear noise from the existing operations all the time, especially during the summer, which makes it difficult to sleep.
Rebecca Trigger of Valley View Road, about a mile from the station, agreed that more testing should be done to determine the composition of the emissions from compressor stations as well as their long-term impact on human health.
Jefferson Township Supervisors Mickey Dikun, who attended the meeting but did not testify, said the supervisors came to learn more about the plans and hear residents’ concerns.
He said the supervisors, too, are concerned about noise and the safety of the operations. The township received noise complaints from residents nearby and have investigated them, he said.
They have checked the noise levels at all hours of the day and night, when called, and the levels have always been below the level specified by the township noise ordinance, though that may be just at the time they are checked, he said.
But the supervisors can understand the residents’ concerns, he said. “They live in the country, then all of sudden this happens to them,” he said.
DEP will accept written testimony until Jan. 31. Those who wish to submit written testimony are asked to send three copies to Devin Tomko, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Waterfront Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.