MILFORD, PA ― Kinder Morgan, the infrastructure giant that operates the natural gas compressor in Milford, recently contributed $10,000 to support emergency services in Pike County.

The money was put into the Pike County Emergency Services Initiative (PCESI) fund, established in 2019 to address the critical shortage of emergency medical technicians. The Greater Pike Community Foundation, which administers the fund, says has already benefited five programs at the Pike County Training Center in Lords Valley. Twenty new EMTs have graduated from the center since the fund was established and were saved $35,260 in course fees, according to Greater Pike.

The fund was established by the county commissioners, the public safety department, and founding gifts from donors, including the law firm of Weinstein, Zimmerman &Olighe and William Lovejoy.

“We are grateful to Kinder Morgan for recognizing the importance of having safe and efficient EMS services in the county,” said Commissioner Matt Osterberg in a statement. “This generous donation will help provide scholarships to 14 individuals wishing to become EMT trainees.”

Compressor expansion

In 2017, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline the authority to build its Orion Project, a 12.9-mile pipeline loop on its 300 Line in Pennsylvania. FERC said the U.S. Department of Transportation prescribes the standards for pipeline facilities, “including the requirement to establish emergency plans, maintain liaison with appropriate fire, police and public officials, and establish a continuing education program. Tennessee must comply with these standards.”

This small section of the Northern Division Map published by Kinder Morgan shows the locations of compressor stations and pipelines in the tristate …

The Orion Project includes the following components:

• 8.23 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Wayne and Pike counties (Loop 322);

• 4.68 miles of new 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop in Pike County (Loop 323);

• Expansion of Compressor Station 323 in Milford, Pike County; and

• Installation of a pig launcher (a device that cleans and monitors pipe) , crossover facilities, and connections for Loop 322 with its existing 300 lines. 

The project will enable Tennessee Gas to transport an additional 135,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day from Susquehanna County to the connection with the Columbia Gas pipeline in Pike County. 

Columbia Gas is one of Kinder Morgan’s “energy partners” on its sprawling Northeast Energy Direct Project.

In its order issued on February 2, 2017, FERC wrote: “No new emissions sources are proposed as a part of the Orion Project, thus the majority of the air quality emissions associated with the project will be generated during construction....The operation of the Orion Project will result in a minor amount of fugitive emissions associated with the operation of the pipeline and additional components at Compressor Station 323 in Pike County.” This led FERC to declare one-quarter of a mile “the geographic scope of analysis for cumulative air quality impacts.”

FERC decided that if built and operated in accordance with Tennessee Gas’s application, and in compliance with environmental conditions, “our approval of this proposal will not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.”

Permit issued for upgrade

In April 2022, the FERC issued permits for Tennessee Gas to upgrade the Milford compressor and also to build a new compressor station in West Milford, located in Passaic County), NJ.

Local environmental groups, including Earth Justice Network headed by Alex Lotorto and Air Soil Water headed by Jolie DeFeis, oppose the compressor expansion.

“The station will be allowed to emit harmful pollutants that can impact public health and regional air quality,” they wrote in 2014.

A video posted by Earthworks  used infrared technology in 2019 to show emissions at the Milford Compressor Station.

A screenshot of Earthworks' 2019 infrared video of emissions from the Milford compressor station.

The Tennessee Gas Pipeline extends over 11,000 miles and transports natural gas supplied from the Marcellus shale of the Northeast to markets nearby through to the  Gulf Coast.

Sources

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Issuing Order

Statement by Energy Justice Network and Air Soil Water 

Northern Division Map published by Kinder Morgan