PA EPA Considers Controversial Gas Line Replacement Project Across Brandywine Creek
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection is considering whether to let a Texas company dig in to the Brandywine Creek in order to replace a natural gas pipeline.
The plan faces opposition from environmental groups.
The D.E.P. has already rejected a proposal by Transcontinental to dig a trench across the Brandywine Creek to enlarge 2000 feet of pipeline.
Two years ago, the D.E.P. said it must use a Horizontal Drill method that would not disturb the Creek's delicate ecosystem. Transcontinental spokesman Chris Stockton says the company re-applied because it continues to believe horizontal drilling is impractical.
"It's like using a backhoe to plant a flower garden," says Stockton. "It's overkill."
Environmentalists disagree and they fear that Transcontinental is trying to set a precedent for all future pipeline construction. Delaware Riverkeeper Maya von Rossum notes Transcontinental waited for a new administration in Harrisburg to reapply.
"The concern here is that we're not going to have an environmental decision," von Rossum says. "We're going to have a political decision."
The D.E.P. has agreed to extend the public comment period and says it will hold a public hearing sometime in July.
