A natural gas compressor station slated for construction near a residential area in Pennsylvania could negatively impact residents’ property values and quality of life, according to U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) should find “a new, appropriate and safe site for the Quakertown Compressor Station,” wrote Rep. Fitzpatrick, along with Pennsylvania State Rep. Craig Staats (R-145) in a Dec. 12 letter sent to FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee.
The Adelphia Gateway pipeline project will use existing infrastructure to transport natural gas to the Philadelphia market. Project officials said the fully converted 84-mile pipeline will transport enough natural gas to meet the needs of 250,000 households each year.
“As the pipeline is retrofitted to safely carry natural gas, compressor stations are being built at points along the existing line,” according to the lawmakers’ letter. “Traditionally these stations are built on large parcels of land to ensure they do not impact surrounding residents.
“However, in one case, what has been dubbed the “Quakertown Compressor Station,’ is proposed for a 1.5-acre lot in a residential neighborhood in West Rockhill,” they wrote, calling the Adelphia Gateway LLC location “unacceptable.”
Reps. Fitzpatrick and Staats pointed out that such compressor stations “are known to make a constant low humming noise that travels over long distances.”
Additionally, they expressed their concerns regarding potential health and safety risks resulting from the stations close proximity to residential homes.
“Being placed on such a small parcel of land allows for the possibility that emergency workers will not have the space necessary to adequately respond to emergencies and the potential injury or worse of residents in the area,” the representatives wrote.
Most importantly, they added, placing the compressor station so close to residents and businesses “provides for potential health risks, as the stations emit pollutants into the air.”