Click here to subscribe today or Login.
First Posted: 1/31/2011
SARAH HITE
[email protected]
DALLAS TWP. — A proposed natural gas compressor station to be located approximately 1,500 feet away from the Dallas School District campus is causing a stir among residents and gas drilling protestors in Dallas Township.
Chief Gathering LLC submitted plans to township officials on Jan. 21 to build a natural gas compressor station on approximately 5 acres near Hildebrandt Road.
The company applied for zoning exceptions because the area is not designated for the building of such a project, but if certain requirements are met, the zoning hearing board could grant permission for construction of the facility. The township Zoning Hearing Board will make a decision Feb. 9.
Ted Wurfel, vice president of Environmental, Safety and Regulatory Affairs at Chief Gathering LLC, said compressor stations take gas from wells that could be anywhere from 10 to 30 miles away into a gathering line that leads to the station. The natural gas is then pressurized from 100 to 200 PSI (pounds per square inch) to 2,000 PSI, which is what the pressure needs to be for the gas to enter into the Transco pipeline for transport across the country.
Residents and members of a local anti-gas drilling group, the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition, passed out fliers at the Dallas School District campus last week to raise public awareness, and two Dallas Middle School students created a Facebook page titled “SOS” (Save Our School) in protest of the planned station.
Dallas School District Superintendent Frank Galicki said officials from Chief Gathering LLC met with Galicki and Grant Palfey, district business manager, to discuss the potential plans on Jan. 12.
“We haven’t received a whole lot of information yet,” said Galicki. “We don’t want to push the panic button. We want to be aware of what’s going on around us, and we’re neutral until we need to take a stand.”
Township Zoning Officer Leonard Kozick said approval of the special exceptions does not necessarily mean that the compressor station will be built. He said plans will still need to be approved by the planning commission and the land will need to be subdivided.
Diane Dreier, a member of the coalition, said concerns are mostly about air and noise emissions resulting from the compressor station, and the potential effects these emissions could have on the health of children and personnel at the nearby schools.
“We are concerned about having a facility to process a highly combustible product, like gas, so close to our schools, playgrounds, and athletic fields,” said Dreier.
Wurfel said the site was the company’s last option for building, as other locations scouted for the project fell through due to lack of landowners’ approval.
Because the site is located close to the district campus, Wurfel said the safety regulations mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation are Class 1, the most stringent.