Dear Editor,

The route of the proposed 108-mile PennEast natural gas pipeline from Luzerne County to Hunterdon County, New Jersey, is now official.According to documents filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by the PennEast Pipeline Company on Oct. 7, the pipeline will run the entire length of Carbon County from north to south, affecting thousands of acres of public and privately held land in Kidder, Penn Forest, Towamensing and Lower Towamensing townships.The proposed pipeline enters Carbon County through Lehigh Gorge State Park on the east bank of the Lehigh River in Kidder Township and continues through State Game Land 40 and Hickory Run State Park which is one of DCNR's top-rated Pennsylvania state parks.The Boulder Field Natural Area is a National Natural Landmark globally recognized for its unique geological properties and often cited in scientific research on glacial habitats. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources map of Hickory Run State Park indicates there are two pre-existing pipelines and a power line right of way in the northeast section of the park within a kilometer of the Boulder Field Natural Area. It appears they have chosen to clear a new right of way even closer to the natural areas than the pre-existing pipelines.Leaving Hickory Run State Park, the proposed pipeline is routed through natural, undisturbed lands in State Game Land 129 adjacent to the Jack Frost and Big Boulder ski resorts, and then through a section of Weiser State Forest in Penn Forest Township. This tract borders the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and has already been compromised by noise and traffic emissions. The relatively small size of this tract, at a little over 900 acres, means it cannot support the addition of a 400-foot-wide pipeline corridor running its entire length without negative consequences.Approximately 15 miles south of Hickory Run, the proposed pipeline slices through Beltzville State Park east of the confluence of Wild Creek and Pohopoco Creek near the inlet to Beltzville Lake, putting all three waterways at risk.Leaving Beltzville State Park the proposed pipeline continues southeast, crossing watershed lands of the Aquashicola Creek in Lower Towamensing Township, an area that provides habitat to federally endangered bog turtles. The proposed pipeline crosses the Aquashicola Creek at the base of Blue Mountain just west of the Monroe County order, heading into State Game Land 168. This crossing is very close to the so-called "Alpine Property" which was a subject of controversy recently when developers proposed building a racetrack along the Kittatinny Ridge in Monroe County. Rare insects have been located in this vicinity, but their future might now be in jeopardy.Just below the summit of Blue Mountain in State Game Land 168 the proposed pipeline slices through the Appalachian National Scenic Trail before leaving Carbon County and entering Northampton County on the southern slope of the ridge.Detailed maps of the pipeline route are available on the FERC website, where residents can also submit public comments about this project.Sondra WolfermanAlbrightsville