PA limits Transco gas pipeline project

The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has granted natural gas company Transco the permits it needs to begin work on the controversial Downingtown pipeline replacement project — with one important exception. Transco does not have permission to start construction in a 2,600-foot segment that spans the East Branch of Brandywine Creek in East Brandywine and East Caln.

The most environmentally sensitive way to cross the creek would be by horizontal directional drilling, which involves digging under the creek, proponents of this method said. But Transco resisted this approach, saying it would be too expensive. Instead, the company proposed a cross-cut method, which diverts surface waters. But this approach would release a lot of sediment into the creek, which is a source of drinking water in Chester County, and so state legislators appealed to state DEP Acting Secretary John Hanger to carefully review Transco's permit applications.

The DEP issued a statement Thursday saying that while the agency has granted the permits that Transco needs to start construction, the company must submit an amendment advising the state how it proposes to proceed in the 2,600-foot section around the creek. About 177 county residents are affected by the project.

Source: Daily Local; 4/12/09