Rep. Doyle Heffley sponsored a meeting tonight at Penn Forest Fire House. The meeting featured Dave Messersmith, a Penn State Cooperative Extension representative, who gave an overview of pipelines in general and what land owners can expect when the pipeline comes through their property.
The second speaker was Carl Engleman, Jr., an attorney who specializes in environmental law and who had advice on how to get the most money from PennEast, the company that is building the pipeline through Carbon County.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I know the Republican Party has received tons of money from the fracking companies, and I was expecting very biased speakers. Both speakers simply gave information and tips.
The news for the landowners is not good. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), set up during the Bush administration, rubber stamps all pipeline applications. Less than 2% of the applications were not approved, but that was because they were withdrawn by the pipeline companies themselves.
Both speakers recommended that in negotiations with the pipeline company, the landowner should hire both an attorney and a financial advisor. So in addition to losing property values, we need to hire staff.
Even though it is a long shot, a group called Carbon Pipeline Alliance is fighting the pipeline. On Thursday that group is holding a meeting at the Trachsville Fire House with a speaker from Delaware River Keepers, a group opposed to the pipeline.
As for the meeting tomorrow night at the Aquashicola Fire House sponsored by PennEast, that is a joke. They call it a workshop. They will have tables spread around the room, and that way people can’t hear each other’s concerns. You won’t be able to get them to say anything definite, since that could be used in comments to FERC. It is a clever way to mislead the public, and it is done deliberately.
Thanks for the inputs.
ReplyDeleteI guess that trying to fight this is losing battle since as you said the FERC is nothing more than a rubber stamp for the Big Oil and gas companies.
My question is how do these committees get appointed and by whom since our legislators all seem to have there hands in the pockets of Big oil and gas companies.
Unfortunately most voters really do not care since these pipelines have no effect on the vast majority of people. Only land owners that are effected will fight to not build, but they are in the minority.
Like the old saying you can't spit into the wind.
I am pessimistic, but I think that a good fight is worth fighting even if you lose in the end. And I'm realistic--I think we will lose in the end.
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