Dear Dominion Transmission, Inc. representative/Ms. McCoy,
As a homeowner living in Buckingham County, I am aware of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline project, (FERC docket number PF15-6) including the large compressor station which would be placed in the center of Buckingham, in close (3-8 miles) proximity to my home on 352 Karuna Lane. After attending the Dominion open house in Buckingham in September, many concerned county residents proceeded to research interstate natural gas pipelines and compressor stations to learn more about what to expect if your project is approved by the FERC. We have found numerous anecdotal and legally filed reports and studies noting the immediate negative health, environmental and existing infrastructure impacts on citizens living close to currently existing compressor stations, including one in Myersville PA that only recently became operational and is owned by Dominion. We are obviously concerned by what we have found, and I ask you here to please address some questions in order to ensure that we have the correct information with which to participate in this pre-filing process efficiently and effectively. I write on my own behalf, but I am also part of a recently formed group called Friends of Buckingham, who organized in response to the ACP, and have joined the Allegheny Blue-Ridge Alliance in concerned opposition to the ACP.
I implore you to offer a public meeting in Buckingham county in January, prior to scoping activities, to address the numerous concerns of numerous citizens that are specific to Buckingham County and require their own time to address. I don’t understand why one of the three counties who may suffer the largest impact from the ACP, via a compressor station, would be left out of the planned meetings in January. Please include us.
To date, we remain unclear on the specific technology that will be employed to operate and build the compressor station planned for Buckingham County and we know little to nothing about the metering and regulating stations that are also apparently part of the proposed ACP. We know the compressor station will be gas-fired, not electric, that it will operate at 31,515 horsepower, and that 3 turbines are planned to start with. Thank you in advance for sincere and thorough responses to the following questions and concerns:
- Acknowledging the increased cost and difficulty of access to electricity in our rural area, but for the apparentimmensely decreased risk to the health and safety of people and the environment in radius of the compressor station as well decreased cost of maintenance, will you consider having the compressors powered by electricity rather than gas? Please explain why and how you will or will not be able to consider this amendment to your current plans. What would the added cost be exactly in this case? It seems to me that going electric, despite any lowered profits (though research suggests it would pay for itself in a few years), would be in the interest of the public good and the greater good.
- In the current plan, would the turbines be a combustion variety or another type? Please specify exactly the type of turbines that would be utilized.
- Do you project the need to add more compressors as the years go by? Such as what has happened in only one year at the Myersville station? It is my understanding that the number of compressors will generally climb to upwards of 5-8 as pressure in wells goes down or demand for gas goes up.
- Which best practice recommendations will you be implementing to ensure the least possible emissions and least risk of failure/malfunction? Capstone technology? Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology? Will you be re-routing the blowdown gas into other lines rather than doing an atmospheric release? Will there be condensate tanks, and if so, will you use the “zero emission” variety?
- Who will the actual contracted builders be for the compressor station?
- How much water will be required to build and operate the compressor station, and where will it come from?Where will waste water then go and what contaminants will be in it?
- What are the measured or estimated emissions from a comparable compressor station during a blowdown/venting event? During regular operations? During an emergency shutdown?From the 42” pipeline itself? From the metering and regulating stations? Please includes all types of emissions, including specific chemicals, and all sources of emissions related to the project.
- Who will regulate and test for emissions? How often and who will provide oversight of the regulators?
- Is the Leesburg Station in Loudon, VA comparable to the compressor station proposed for Buckingham? What are the specific differences?Is there a more comparable compressor station anywhere that Dominion has built and operates? Please provide any relevant information, statistics and specifications on that station, if so.
- Please quantify the noise level and that can be expected from a compressor during normal operations and during a blowdown event, scheduled and unscheduled.
- Please remind me of how often regularly scheduled venting/blowdown episodes will be planned and how long each episode will last.
- Please explain the possibility of unscheduled/unplanned blowdown events, and what kind of preparation time will be provided to local residents when these occur.What duration may an unplanned blowdown event last?
- What recourse is in place for residents when blowdowns happen more often than scheduled?
- Would you agree to immediate notification via an agreed upon communication route to the public about malfunctions, accidents and emergency shutdowns, given that this does not appear to be required of you?
- How will you supplement our sparse emergency response resources so that we are adequately prepared to respond effectively to accidents, should they occur?
- How exactly will Dominion respond to accidents, malfunctions or other emergent situations related to the pipeline or any of its infrastructure, including the compressor station?
- Metering and regulatory stations appear to be numerous. What are they composed of, what emissions do they produce and how much, and how much space do they occupy? Is there noise associated with these stations, and if so, please quantify.
Thank you,
Kerri Helsley, RN
just read this; is this compressor station still being slated for Buckingham? and have they started building it and the pipeline? sorry, to hear; we have 42 and counting compressor stations in my county, Susquehanna County, Pa. so far; and they are gas fired and emit 24/7 toxins and noise 24/7…
will there be dehydrators at the Dominion Station? we have compressor stations with up to 12 compressors in them….!