Several Mahoning Township residents appeared during the public comment portion of Wednesday night's monthly supervisors meeting to express their concerns over the planned PennEast pipeline.

Sue Ann Levine spoke on behalf of the parties at the meeting and said she was there to suggest the township proactively address the possibility of a future pipeline in the township and how they would handle it."It's not in Mahoning yet, but I think we should have steps in place to deal with this. I suggest the board consider setting up a committee of supervisors and residents to discuss how to deal with it if it happens," Levine said.She told supervisors the PennEast pipeline is planned to be routed through four townships in Carbon County including Kidder, Penn Forest, Towamensing and Lower Towamensing. Supervisors in those municipalities are exploring how to deal with the company and the pipeline.Levine said if they successfully block the pipeline, it could be rerouted or a future line could affect township residents. She said she moved to the township because of how beautiful the area is, and she would not want to see it defaced by a pipeline. She also told the supervisors the method being used by the company is to seize 400-foot-wide parcels of land from owners using eminent domain for the construction."This land is not being used for the public good, it only benefits their company," she said.Chairman John Wieczorek said it was his understanding that when the Legislature passed Act 13, they tried to extract authority from local municipalities for pipeline construction. He said governing municipalities where pipelines are proposed have some control over what comes into the township.He asked solicitor Tom Nanovic if there was an ordinance that could be drafted and what would it have to specify to handle this situation. He suggested this should start with the supervisors and then branch out as a community group.Former state representative candidate Patti Borger also addressed the board regarding the pipeline, saying she was there to speak on the importance of being proactive with dealing with the pipeline and its effect on local municipalities."We should watch these affected townships closely (to see how they handle it)," she said.She also suggested residents should take some time to educate themselves on the proposed pipeline so they fully understand the risks and issues surrounding the construction.