FERC determines PennEast pipeline can be built with minimal environmental impact

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the PennEast Pipeline, concluding that the project, which would run through Pennsylvania and New Jersey, could be constructed with minimal environmental impact.

“The FERC staff concludes that approval of the Project would result in some adverse environmental impacts; however, these impacts would be reduced to less than significant levels with the implementation
of PennEast’s proposed mitigation and the additional measures recommended by staff in the final EIS,”
the impact statement said.

The Final EIS was the last major federal regulatory approval required before a potential approval by
FERC commissioners. FERC is expected to issue PennEast a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity this summer.

“Today’s Final EIS is a major step forward for the Project,” Dat Tran, chair of the Board of Managers for PennEast Pipeline Company, said. “We thank the FERC staff for its thorough review, input, and recognition that major infrastructure projects like the PennEast Pipeline can move ahead while protecting the environment, too. We look forward to working with Pennsylvania and New Jersey permitting agencies in the coming months.”

The 120-mile pipeline project is more than 90 percent subscribed under long-term contracts with local gas utilities, power generators and other customers. The energy delivered through the pipelines is expected to be approximately 30 percent cheaper than natural gas supplies from the Gulf of Mexico, which have fueled the northeast in the past.