It was technically a Carbon County Democrats for Change meeting, but Tuesday night's discussion at the Flow Restaurant in Jim Thorpe focused on what group president Linda Christman called a strictly non-partisan matter; the proposed PennEast pipeline.

The 108-mile natural gas pipeline has been at the forefront of many residents' minds lately, especially those who live near its path from Wilkes-Barre to New Jersey.About 30 residents filed into a small meeting room Tuesday to hear Maya K. van Rossum, of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and Sam Koplinka-Loehr, of the Clean Air Council, talk about potential dangers resulting from pipeline construction."We have the right to pure water, clean air and a healthy environment, and it's time for us to start demanding those rights are protected," van Rossum said. "We don't need this gas. There are clean energy alternatives available today."She warned that the pipeline, if built, would "cut through private lands and residential communities, transforming their look and reducing their value and marketability."PennEast will breach around 30 parks and 33 protection easements, she said."Pipeline companies target open space because it's easier to negotiate a deal, but we've worked hard to protect these natural resources," van Rossum said."Beyond that, the pipeline would cut through 88 streams, 76 of which are within the Delaware River watershed. It's hard to repair those waterways in a healthy way."Speaking of health, Koplinka-Loehr focused his message on what could happen to those who live around a 26,000- or 32,745-horsepower compressor station planned for Kidder Township."There are very real health concerns," he said. "People who live near compressor stations have reported headaches, nosebleeds and they can't sleep among a number of other problems. The pollution from these stations is equivalent to 500 diesel school buses idling constantly."Koplinka-Loehr also spoke of blowdowns, where gas is released from the station into the atmosphere. It is very intense for the first 30 to 60 minutes, he said.Aside from Kidder, PennEast's pipeline would run through Lower Towamensing, Towamensing and Penn Forest townships.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the organization with oversight of pipelines, has been accepting positive or negative comments about the project on its website,

www.ferc.gov.Area residents continue to speak out against the project."In my area of Towamensing Township, the pipeline comes into the area co-located with an existing pipeline, however it then veers off this pipeline, crossing pristine forest areas which are natural habitats for an abundance of wildlife, many of which are endangered and protected, including flying squirrels, the bald eagle and very possibly bog turtles," said Scott Bubbenmoyer."The entire area is extremely ecologically fragile because of steep slopes, heads of streams, and other sensitive plants and animals."FERC is holding a public input session at 6 p.m. Feb. 11 at Penn's Peak and will use the testimony as it prepares an environmental-impact statement on the pipeline.Patricia Kornick, project spokeswoman, said the company plans to make its final application to FERC in the third quarter of 2015.If the schedule remains the same, tree clearing is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2016 with construction starting in spring 2017 and a projected in-service date of Oct. 1, 2017.Koplinka-Loehr said pipeline projects have been stopped before.Commonwealth Pipeline suspended its 120-mile pipeline, which would have run from Lycoming County to southeastern Pennsylvania, in 2013."It's important that we band together against the pipeline and shale extraction," van Rossum said."You can't make the argument that it's OK in someone else's backyard, but not yours. That means the pipeline companies win because they get to sit back and watch you duke it out."Currently, 50 percent of landowners in the pipeline's path have denied PennEast the ability to survey their land."If you're against this, you're in good company," Koplinka-Loehr said.