Constitution Pipeline on hold, despite approval in Pa.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Although the Constitution Pipeline has already been approved in Pennsylvania, New York regulators denied permits for the 124-mile project and halted its advance, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
A year later, the fate of the $925 million pipeline awaits a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which last heard arguments in November. The court’s ruling is expected in the next few months. It has the potential to have nationwide implications for interstate pipeline projects.
The permits that were denied by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation would have allowed the pipeline to cross more than 250 streams and about 80 acres of wetlands.
If completed the Williams Partners LP, WGL Holdings Inc. and Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. asset would displace gas imported from Canada and the Gulf Coast that now goes to the northeastern United States.
Learn more: The Philadelphia Inquirer > Approved in Pa. and blocked in N.Y., a contentious shale project hangs in the balance
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.