Natural gas company contends compressor station for Penn Township not harmful to environment

A natural gas compressor station proposed for a 219-acre parcel in the northwestern section of Penn Township would not create a problem for that area’s air and water quality, witnesses for natural gas company testified Thursday at a township zoning hearing.

Hyperion Midstream LLC, subsidiary of Olympus Energy LLC of North Strabane, is seeking a special exception to Penn Township’s zoning ordinance so it can build the six-generator compressor over the next four years on an 11-acre section of a 219-acre piece of property in a wooded along Wilderness Road.

Hyperion has an agreement with the property owner, Bow & Arrow Land Co. of Monroeville, to buy the land for a price that is not disclosed in its tentative sales agreement.

It would be built to help with natural gas production and to pump the product through the Eastern Gas transmission line.

The testimony was given before the zoning hearing board at what may be the first of two or three sessions, which are expected to continue next month and perhaps in March. Only Hyperion was able to present witnesses during the two-hour hearing on Thursday.

Opponents of the project hope to present their concerns next month. Patricia Wendell of Augusta Lane was granted the right to testify on behalf of Protect PT, an environmental organization, despite objections from Blaine Lucas, Hyperion’s attorney, that she would not be impacted by the plant because she lives about a mile from the site.

While the site is in an area zoned for industrial commerce, Penn Township requires the special exception for natural gas compression stations, according to Bill Roberts, township planning director.

John Sweeney, zoning hearing board solicitor, said Hyperion must demonstrate in the hearings that it can satisfy the conditions for a special condition, which include not negatively impacting the health, safety and welfare of the community. Hyperion contended in its application to the township that it would not negatively impact the township.

If Hyperion is granted the special exception by the zoning hearing board, the company then must present a land development plan for the project to the township planning commission, Roberts said. The planning commission would make a recommendation to the township commissioners, who would decide whether to approve the compressor station plans.

The compressor station site meets the township’s setback requirements for the building because it would be 200 feet from the nearest property line and more than 1,200 feet from the nearest structure, said Ryan Dailey, a project manager for Civil & Environmental Consultants of Monroeville, which represented Hyperion. The building itself would be 375 feet long and 24 feet wide.

The gravel pad on which the compressor would sit would be 550 feet long and 260 feet wide, according to the application. There would be two stormwater ponds to capture the runoff.

The plans are to build the compressor in three stages — two natural-gas fueled compressor engines each in 2025, 2026 and 2028. The metal building would be constructed in stages to cover the compressor engines and two generator engines, as they are installed, Dailey said. The construction would include 10 inches of soundproofing insulation to contain noise in the building.

Leah Blinn, who leads the air quality team for Civil & Environmental Consultants said she conducted extensive air quality testing based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency models for each piece of equipment in the compressor station. She said she evaluated potential emissions from the equipment and looked at the maximum emissions if the equipment was running at full capacity, 24 hours a day.

Attorney Lisa Johnson, representing Protect PT, questioned how the township is going to ensure that residents will have clean water if the compressor is built. Johnson questioned why Hyperion did not conduct baseline testing of the air and water.

Johnson said that the compressor would be near several tributaries into Lyons Run, and that waterway has been determined to be 53% impaired by pollution. The waterway is part of the Turtle Creek watershed.

Following the hearing, Johnson said she hopes to present her case during the hearing on Feb. 8, or in March, if need be.