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Delaware River Basin Commission to limit scope of PennEast project review

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Delaware River Basin Commission to limit scope of PennEast project review

The Delaware River Basin Commission plans to confine the scope of its review of PennEast Pipeline Co. LLC's 1.1-Bcf/d natural gas pipeline project to how the conduit for Marcellus Shale supplies would impact water resources in the basin.

The commission, or DRBC, is currently reviewing an application for the $1 billion pipeline for permission to build and operate a portion of the project in the Delaware River Basin. The project developer must secure authorization from the commission before commencing any preconstruction or construction activities, such as tree cutting, and a regional environmental group petitioned the DRBC to use the review to stall the whole project.

"We're exercising our jurisdiction to review the portion of the project located within the basin [and how it] would impact water resources of the basin," DRBC spokesman Peter Eschbach said on March 1. Eschbach added that the application included requests for certain stream crossings, drilling methods and hydrostatic testing.

Eschbach said PennEast is cooperating with the commission, helping create a more detailed application.

The environmental group Delaware Riverkeeper Network said in letters to the DRBC that the regulators' authority was not limited to only certain portions of the pipeline and urged the DRBC to exercise its authority over the entire project.

The project would deliver Marcellus gas production to East Coast markets through 120 miles of 36-inch-diameter line in parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the project in a Jan. 19 certificate order.

PennEast is a joint venture of subsidiaries of Enbridge Inc., Southern Co. Inc, New Jersey Resources Corp., South Jersey Industries Inc. and UGI Corp. (FERC docket CP15-558)