West Deer to consider allowing linkup of Leto well pad with eastern interconnect

West Deer supervisors heard more than six hours of testimony last week on a project that, if built, would allow gas to flow from the approved Leto well pad in Bairdford to the eastern interconnect pipeline.

Hyperion Midstream, a wholly owned subsidiary of Olympus Energy of Canonsburg, seeks approval for the Deer Creek interconnect and associated pipeline at 4389 Gibsonia Road. The property is owned by Allison Park Contractors.

The hearing began July 25 and continued the following day. The board has 45 days from July 26 to issue a decision, said Gavin Robb, township solicitor.

The proposal

Hyperion representatives said the eastern interconnect pipeline consists of 30- and 20-inch lines, and Leto’s 12-inch diameter pipeline would connect to the other two pipelines. The interconnect site is 11.4 acres and would disturb about 1.5 acres. The pipeline would be buried about 4 feet.

During an April planning commission meeting, Ryan Dailey, an engineer with Civil & Environmental Consultants, said the project would meet all setbacks. From the interconnect pad, the nearest building is 460 feet away, the Steeplechase development is 1,000 feet away and other housing is 1,100 feet away.

Site pad dimensions are 150-by-100 feet. A 6-foot-high chain link security fence with barbed wire at the top will surround the site. Lighting will face inward and downward and be used only when required at night.

Jeremy Burton, vice president of construction at Hyperion, said construction for the interconnect would start next spring and continue through July. Gas is planned to start flowing through the pipeline in spring 2025.

Burton further discussed the project’s infrastructure, filtration system, fluid storage, regulators and the tap into the eastern interconnect pipeline. He said the safety features are monitored and controlled remotely. The pipeline will follow Oak Road and Middle Road Extension.

The opposition

Many meeting attendees who spoke either as objectors or township residents raised concerns about the pipeline’s impact on the area, Olympus’ record, how supervisors conducted the hearing and recent news reports of gas line failures locally and along the East Coast.

Ryan Koleno, who lives on Crestwood Drive, said Hyperion was cutting it tight with how close the interconnect would be to his property.

Neil Crowley attempted to summarize Olympus’ violation and response history with the DEP — like he did similarly during a hearing for the since-rejected Dionysus well pad. After an objection from Olympus, the board determined they would hear part of Crowley’s testimony.

Victoria Austin displayed news reports from Shenandoah County, Va., where a TC Energy natural gas line went up in flames July 25, and a television report from December where a 12-inch natural gas main broke loose from its supports and slid 700 feet into an Allegheny Township house.

“It’s clear that the pipeline itself carries risks and valid concerns,” she said.

Mark Thompson pleaded with the board to consider the decision they will make and the impact it will have on the township.

“Think about us all and say no, say no with your loudest voice,” he said. “… You have to choose to be our spokespeople and our protectors and our safety people. Because if anything bad happens to us, you’re, at the end of the day, going to be the ones held accountable for it.”

The third well pad

Also during the hearing, residents heard about Olympus’ proposal for the Tyche well pad, located near the intersection of Lick and Bairdford roads, west of the Pittsburgh National Golf Club.

Tyche would be the third well pad proposed by Olympus in West Deer. The first, Dionysus, was rejected by supervisors in 2021. After an appeal argued in Commonwealth Court but before a decision could be rendered by justices, Olympus withdrew the appeal.

In June, supervisors granted approval, with 36 conditions, for the Leto deep-well site on property along Oak Road behind Dollar General.

Residents near the site have appealed that decision.