Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

TUNKHANNOCK — Supporters of the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline gathered Thursday to push for approval of state permits still needed for the project, which would add 197 miles of pipeline from northeast to southeast Pennsylvania.

The line extension would cross 10 counties, including Luzerne, Columbia, Wyoming and Schuylkill.

“We have a lot of gas in Susquehanna County,” County Commissioner Alan Hall told the crowd at Shadowbrook Golf Course, “the problem is we can’t get it out of the ground to consumers. By putting those pipelines in the ground, America benefits.”

The project received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval in early February, but is still awaiting two permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection, one regarding water obstruction and encroachment, and the second regarding earth disturbance.

DEP held four public hearings on the permits last month. Colleen Connolly, community relations coordinator for DEP, said Thursday the matter is still “under review” with no specific date for a final decision.

Politicians and other supporters spoke in favor of the pipeline while standing on a large flatbed truck. State Rep. Jonathan Fritz, a Republican in the 11th district serving parts of Wayne and Susquehanna counties, touted the employment the project would create — proponents predict up to 8,000 jobs.

“That’s what this project and the growth of the energy industry as a whole is all about,” Fritz said.

The project is estimated at a total investment of about $3 billion. Penn State University researchers in 2015 estimated it would have a $1.6 billion economic impact in the 10 Pennsylvania counties covered.

Supporters at the rally included state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, and state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township.

State Rep. Jonathan Fritz, R-111th, speaks during a Thursday rally in Tunkhannock, urging approval of state permits required for construction of the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline. Others at the rally were state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston (second from left), and state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township (third from right).
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Fritz.jpg.optimal.jpgState Rep. Jonathan Fritz, R-111th, speaks during a Thursday rally in Tunkhannock, urging approval of state permits required for construction of the Atlantic Sunrise pipeline. Others at the rally were state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston (second from left), and state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township (third from right).

By Mark Guydish

[email protected]

Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish