Sullivan County Residents Testify at Public Hearing on Compressor Station

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (“PA DEP”) held a public meeting and hearing at the Muncy Valley Fire Hall on Wednesday, February 15 from 6:30 - 9:30PM to listen to comments on the proposed M1-S Compressor Station planned for Davidson Township, Sullivan County. Approximately 100 people attended the hearing, the third of its kind ever held in Pennsylvania.

The North-central Regional office of PA DEP was represented by three staff, including Air Quality Program Manager Muhammad Q. Zaman and the Regional Director, Nels Taber. There were four staff from Central New York Oil and Gas (CNYOG), the company applying for the permit. A CNYOG engineer presented the components of the proposed station, and Mr. Zaman gave an overview about how the compressor station would be regulated under the air permit.

The public meeting consisted of a question and answer session between residents, CNYOG and PA DEP and lasted for over one hour. Questions ranged from engineering details to concerns about health, odors and air quality impacts. Fifteen individuals testified during the public hearing portion of the event. All but one were in opposition to the compressor station outright or as it is currently proposed. Most testifiers urged PA DEP to account for the cumulative air quality impacts that could result from this and other future compressor stations and to require more efficient technologies from CNYOG if they approved the plan. Testifiers included residents living in close proximity to the proposed station, members and the Director of the Responsible Drilling Alliance, as well as David Presley and Matt Walker from Clean Air Council, a state-wide environmental group.

Clean Air Council assisted residents in north-central PA in developing comments to PA DEP on this permit and held a workshop last week to prepare people for testifying at the hearing. PA DEP cited the number and quality of submitted comments as the major reason to hold the meeting and hearing.

Barbara Miller is the fourth generation to live on her family farm, about a mile from the proposed station. “I would like to see the DEP evaluate aggregation or cumulative air impacts,” stated Miller. “I think right now there are or are proposed three compressor stations within 5 miles of my place. It blows my mind that the standards for emissions by the DEP are measured in tons per year.”

PA DEP will review public comments before making a final decision, and will release a summary report addressing concerns if they decide to issue the Plan Approval. 

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The Clean Air Council is a member- supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air. The Council is headquartered in Philadelphia and works through public education, community advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws. For more information, please visit www.cleanair.org.