PennEast abandons natural gas pipeline project
Thursday, September 30, 2021
PennEast Pipeline announced on Monday it would stop developing a proposed pipeline from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, dropping its plans due to ongoing regulatory battles, according to Reuters.
The company said it canceled the project because it had not yet received all of its required permits, including a water quality certification in New Jersey. The PennEast was one of the last major pipeline projects in the works set to pull gas from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.
“The PennEast partners, following extensive evaluation and discussion, recently determined further development of the project no longer is supported,” PennEast said in an email, noting it “has ceased all further development of the project.”
Learn more: Reuters > PennEast becomes the latest to scuttle a natural gas pipeline project
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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.