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Friday, February 06, 2015

PennEast Pipeline: Scavello Wants Residents, Businesses To Have Pipeline Access

While I was attempted to evade a death sentence at Becahi last night, Matt Miles attended an informational meeting about the PennEast Pipeline at the Covenant United Methodist Church in Klecknersville. The meeting was hosted by State reps. Julie Harhart and Marcia Hahn, with State Senator Mario Scavello doing the honors as a guest speaker. Below is Miles' report, for which I am very grateful.

On a cold night in Klecknersville, Pennsylvanians came to an event hosted by State Representatives Marcia Hahn and Julie Harhart, with special guest Senator Mario Scavello to learn more about the proposed 36” diameter Penn East Natural Gas Pipeline . The Fellowship Hall of Covenant United Methodist Church packed in about 130 residents. In the introduction, the representatives were adamant about having a non-biased forum and to be respectful despite the controversy.

The Penn State Extension’s Dave Messersmith gave a presentation about the procedures, construction, positives and negatives and some land-owner’s rights as well. It presented like a college lecture hall, but provided a good basis for understanding what is going to happen. If you want to learn more, he makes this powerpoint available for the asking. He is based out of the Honesdale, PA extension office, and on the web at extension.psu.edu/naturalgas.

Next up was Attorney Carl Engleman, Jr., an attorney who primarily represents land owners with right of way issues and mineral rights leases. Despite any lawyer joke you could think of, the meeting picked up pace and became much more interesting. As someone with 20 years of practice, he was quick to point out all of the tricks that utilities pull when a new transmission front is proposed. As verified by some in the crowd, PennEast has hired what Englemann referred to as “Land Agents” to start surveying properties in the proposed right-of-way. Many of the agents surveying will put offers in front of land-owners immediately, with forms to give up any rights to sue after the line is installed and (illegally) threatening eminent domain. Englemann also covered topics like areas of historical significance, environmental concerns and proximities of schools can all be reasons to re-route the line. The bottom line is that PennEast doesn’t have a formal application to FERC yet, so no one can use eminent domain to threaten you. Edelmann also cautioned that your first offer is never the best offer. The biggest take away that could be gained from the meeting is that if you are in the direct path and want to fight it directly, be ready to pay for a Dream Team of experts to testify on your behalf in Washington, D.C., and that the land speculators are already out trespassing and surveying, stating they have a right to be in the utility right of way.

As with any meeting, the real show starts during public comment. The first questions asked were centered around what would make FERC deny the pipeline. As Atty Edelmann put it, FERC approves 99.9% of all pipelines. The idea behind the pipeline is that it can provide common good to the community. With PennEast, there hasn’t been much of a negative impact. My question was whether residents of the affected areas be able to have Natural Gas as an energy option. Neither Representatives, the Extension representative, the Senator or the attorney could answer my question, However, Senator Scavello mentioned he was pushing for terminals along the way for community benefit. The bottom line is that this line is being designed for export at this juncture. The biggest fireworks came when someone asked the pols directly if they received campaign funding from PennEast. All three denied it, but another audience member called them out to name other gas entities that sent them campaign funding and all three admitted to UGI as a company donating to their campaign funds. Scavello later called out these citizens after the meeting for being “paid to be there” as “anti-fracking activists.”

Representatives from the website Stop the Penn East Pipeline website were there as well, with literature and signs. Both Representative Hahn and Harhart had their gun targets and Game Commission bylaws and lit available for the taking. None of the targets had Bernie’s mug on them. I will give credit to both Representatives and Senator Scavello for staying until the last folks left the church.

In my rather extensive conversations with Representative Hahn, Harhart and Senator Scavello after the meeting, I asked a few more pointed questions about a severance tax, expanding infrastructure to rural areas along the line and what they were doing for their constituents. Senator Scavello was the most knowledgeable about expanding local infrastructure. He mentioned expanding natural gas lines into several business parks in the Poconos as well as converting Sanofi-Pasteur Pharmaceuticals in Swiftwater, PA from oil to gas use. His goal is to see that as many Pennsylvanians as possible have access to the fuel. Scavello also mentioned that there is a severance tax on the table of 5%. According to Scavello, Governor Wolf wants to see 8% but with 11 capped wells in Luzerne county because of the lack of transport, he feels 8% accomplishes nothing, but that he is open to the 5% number. Mario is pro-pipeline, and was a real pleasure to talk to with some intelligent points.

Representative Hahn and Representative Harhart did more listening to me than they did explaining their stances and action items. They both agreed it would be a good thing to see the pipeline built, but when I asked what they would do about infrastructure, I didn’t get much of an answer. Harhart went so far as to tell me it was a Federal Project and there wasn’t much she could do. I suggested that she and the General Assembly do have more power to push PennEast and ask what’s in it for their constituents. I hate having to deal with nice people sometimes… it gets in the way of some good conversation. My hope is that they heard about the predatory Land Speculation and will be actively looking to do something to stop it as well as looking at getting Pennsylvania natural gas to local homes and businesses.

Overall, it was a civil meeting, with a few jabs and a lot of information to take in. Fortunately, it’s still very early in the game. You can comment on FERC’s website Docket # PF15-1-00 through Mid February, and there will be a FERC scoping meeting at Northampton Community College Feb 10th at 6pm. Now is the time to get educated and make the right choices for you and your family.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why no comment on the excellent story on Northampton County's rampant nepotism in the Morning Call today? Is it because you must kiss up to the courts due to your lawsuits?

It was a very troubling and damning story about the open and blatant us of family influence to gain jobs in the court.

Shameful, yet you scream in silence. After all Brown the bad guy and you need the courts for your mezz deal.

Anonymous said...

Who cares about the pipeline. There are pipelines running throughout the county. If you listen to these tree huggers.... the existing pipelines should be removed now!

Anonymous said...

"... but when I asked what they would do about infrastructure, I didn’t get much of an answer."

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia...

It's like the judge never left.

-Clem

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Why no comment on the excellent story on Northampton County's rampant nepotism in the Morning Call today? Is it because you must kiss up to the courts due to your lawsuits?"

1:47, This is an independent source of news. I do not exist to simply react to what other newspapers are doing, and i had another set of stories to tell today. You don't tell me what to write.

As it happens, i do have a perspective, but my readers will see it when I am ready for them to see it, not when you are. In the meantime, you can write your own story for your three or four readers, if you have any at all.

Bernie O'Hare said...

6:21, If you do not care about the story, do not waste your time aon a comment. Just move along. Better yet, thank Matt for taking the time to attend and write up the meeting instead of being such an ignorant person.

Anonymous said...

Good, honest summary from a guy with an admitted bias; much appreciated, nonetheless.

Mario folded like a beach chair on raising taxes to fund wasteful PennDOT. He may flip-flop yet on this one. Stay tuned.

I imagine the protestors left early to get up early today to send their unvaccinated offspring to school to revive long-conquered childhood diseases. The old times were the best times and many parents miss the excitement of worrying about their kids contracting polio and the like. Good times.

Anonymous said...

"I imagine the protestors left early to get up early today to send their unvaccinated offspring to school to revive long-conquered childhood diseases. The old times were the best times and many parents miss the excitement of worrying about their kids contracting polio and the like. Good times."

That's....brilliant.

Kudos.

Matt Miles said...

Actually, the protesters were the exact last 2 to leave as my Dad and I locked up the church. Not to mention try were very civil and respectful.

Matt Miles said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Matt Miles said...

This meeting is one of the few times you'll see politicians do it right. Find fairly neutral and knowledgeable speakers, and make yourself available after the meeting, and don't say a word during the presentations.

Matt Miles said...

Thanks for the review. It's a blog, not straight news coverage. I am a Democrat and I went in with a bias. I don't mind a politician changing their stance if it is for the good of the Commonwealth. I've been to other events hosted by one or more of these reps during the Rendell administration and all they did was bash the governor. Not one peep about Wolf was made last night. I thinkbthstbspeaks volumes as to what may come in the next 4 years.

Matt Miles said...

Meant to say they were very respectful.

Matt Miles said...

This meeting is one of the few times you'll see politicians do it right. Find fairly neutral and knowledgeable speakers, and make yourself available after the meeting, and don't say a word during the presentations.

Matt Miles said...

Actually, the protesters were the exact last 2 to leave as my Dad and I locked up the church. Not to mention try were very civil and respectful.

Anonymous said...

Hey Bernie, saving private gracedale is up and running. You should read the post

Bernie O'Hare said...

It;'s typical;of them to posean OT comment here to grab attention. They can go back to sleep now.

Anonymous said...

As one who is fighting this project in NJ, I just wish to point out that our municipalities and most of our legislators have reviewed PennEast's proposals, and find there is nothing whatsoever of value for the citizens or the municipalities in NJ. The list is endless but here are a few points; money paid to residents with farm assessments will be on the reduced farm value, not the fair market value. Hence PennEast's attempt at this greenfields project. The Delaware River and its surrounding watershed area is the drinking water source for some 15 million people. Any breach of that cannot be "mitigated" as PennEast suggests. And the thing that scares me the most is that we have heard not one word from PennEast about a safety plan. Nothing. There is a 1 mile wide evac radius for a 36" natural gas line running 1,420 psi but we've had hollow and vague suggestions of what we could do if there was a leak. If you go to the scoping meetings you'll get a tremendous amount of factual information about why we're fighting so hard against this project. (....)

Anonymous said...

Why are all of you so terrified of this young woman?

Anonymous said...

Mezz, Again with the 'young woman'?
An old prune will never be a plum again. No matter how you think of yourself. Anyone who has seen your picture knows you are old.

Anonymous said...

Hey K. Gross how is the diet going? We all know how your obsession with Trish is going.

Anonymous said...

lot of "hostile critics" Bernie...balanced report....I have my doubts about Sen. Scavello's agenda, though. linda from Monroe County

Anonymous said...

very balanced reporting, but a lot of "hostile critics." Not just critical, out-of-the-zone critical...I am just not sure about Mario Scavello's total agenda....thanks, Linda from Monroe county

Captain America said...

Scavello is a pleasure to deal with, until he has a little temper tantrum. He refused to give Laurie Monteforte of Eyewitness News (WBRE/WYOU) an interview the night he won. Shortly after he took office (as State Senator) he came over got into her face and told her he refused to give her the interview because she did not feature him enough in stories leading up to the election.

Apparently she is supposed to do campaign PR for him because he is the mighty Mario. Then when Laurie posted this on social media, Mario's chief of staff replied on Twitter to Laurie "Watch it", which sounds like a threat to most people. She then removed her tweet to cover her little behind.

All of this can be confirmed by the most watched news reporter in Monroe County by e-mailing her at: lmonteforte@pahomepage.com

Mario Scavello is a Napoleon egomaniac who thinks he is Kevin Spacey in House of Cards. Sadly, he is supposed to serve the people--but he thinks it works the other way around.

As for the protesters are "paid", how much money do most local non Republican groups have? If there was no Union Labor involvement, you can close your eyes to see how much they were paid. Get a grip Team Scavello. Mario lies, lies, and lies more.

I will say, you are being very fair and even with this Bernie.