Published: May 30, 2017 |

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DTE Energy has filed for federal approval to build a natural gas pipeline connecting the planned Birdsboro power plant to a larger interstate pipeline in Oley Township
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After months of meeting with landowners along the pipeline route and obtaining easements to allow construction through private property, DTE officials filed the application May 1 with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC.

The FERC is made up of five presidentially appointed commissioners and regulates interstate transmission of electricity and reviews pipeline projects.

The proposed line would carry natural gas about 14 miles from the Texas Eastern transmission line in Oley to the Birdsboro power plant, which would use that fuel to produce electricity.

The DTE pipeline falls under federal jurisdiction — and therefore grants the company the power of eminent domain — because it connects to a larger line that runs through multiple states.

Kenneth Magyar, vice president of project and business development for DTE, said the company has obtained most of the easements it needs after months of meeting with landowners.

He said DTE will continue working with environmental agencies for necessary approvals and hopes to receive federal approval on the project in December. If all goes according to plan, that would allow the company to start work next spring and potentially finish construction five or six months later.

FERC is now down two members, one of whom plans to leave after her current term ends in June. The commission needs at least three members to approve projects like the DTE pipeline. Members are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate.

Magyar said he’s optimistic the commission will have a quorum by the time the project is ready for a vote.

But Karen Feridun, founder of the local organization Berks Gas Truth, said there’s a good chance the lack of appointees could delay the process. That would add DTE to a backlog totaling more than $10 billion in projects waiting for approval.

Feridun said the next step for people opposed to the DTE pipeline is to register as intervenors and submit comments on the application. People can also submit comments without registering, but Feridun said becoming an intervenor makes a stronger statement.

At a series of public meetings hosted by DTE over several months, opponents have cited concerns about environmental damage during and after construction as well as worries over the safety risks associated with natural gas leaks.

Magyar said DTE is holding a public comment period that will last until the end of May, at which time the company will compile and respond to the application comments.

The planned $500 million natural gas and steam electric power plant at the end of the pipeline will cover about 30 acres on the site of the former Armorcast factory in Birdsboro. It will be owned and operated by Birdsboro Power LLC, a subsidiary of EmberClear Corp. of Canada, which builds power plants and sells the electricity generated to local power companies.

Construction is set to start later this year for completion in 2019.

Source: (May 23, 2017) Reading Eagle

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