Adelphia Gateway map (click for larger version)

In January the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a favorable environmental assessment for New Jersey Resources’ Adelphia Gateway pipeline project in the Philadelphia area (see Adelphia Gateway Pipe Enviro Assessment Approved by FERC). On Saturday, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) indicated it will soon issue a federal “401” Clean Water Act stream crossing permit for the project.

The Adelphia Gateway project is a plan to convert an old oil pipeline stretching from Northampton County, PA through Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester counties, terminating in Delaware County at Marcus Hook, to pump natural gas instead of oil (see Oil Pipeline Near Philly to be Converted to Flow Fracked NatGas). The project includes converting 84 miles of existing 18-inch pipeline, converting 4.4 miles of 20-inch pipeline, building two new short lateral pipelines (one a quarter of a mile, the other 4.5 miles), and building two compressor stations and various metering stations.

The project hit some opposition over the location of a planned compressor station (see PA Residents Sound Off Against Adelphia Pipe at DEP Hearing).

However, it’s evident that the project will get full FERC and PA approval and will get built. The DEP issued a notice in the weekly Pennsylvania Bulletin on Saturday providing a draft 401 certificate. What happens now? Comments are due back to the DEP on the draft certificate by April 15. After that, the DEP will move forward and issue the 401 certificate.

Here’s a copy of the notice published by the DEP on Saturday:

Pa Bulletin-Adelphia

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We also found the following project description for Adelphia Gateway, published in January 2018. Beginning on page 7 of the PDF document is a list of the existing pipelines and infrastructure they will repurpose, and a description of the new things they’ll build (compressor stations, etc.). Chapter and verse, where everything will go.

AdelphiaResourceReport01