The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has released a schedule of hearings to get public input on its recent environmental impact statement draft for the proposed PennEast pipeline.

The only meeting in Carbon County, which has four municipalities that would be affected by the pipeline, will be at Penn's Peak on Maury Road in Penn Forest Township from 6-10 p.m. Aug. 15.

There will not be a formal presentation by FERC staff.

"The primary goal will be to have verbal environmental comments on the draft impact statement documented in the public record," FERC said in a release announcing the meetings. "Verbal comments will be recorded by stenographers in one-on-one settings, and transcriptions will be placed into the docket for the project and made available for public viewing on FERC's eLibrary system."

If a significant number of people are interested in providing verbal comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of three to five minutes may be implemented for each commenter.

FERC staff will be available throughout the meetings to answer questions about the environmental review process.

In a draft of its impact statement released last week, FERC said the 118-mile pipeline, running from Luzerne County to Mercer County, New Jersey, would have a "less-than-significant" impact on the environment if PennEast implemented suggested mitigation measures.

FERC said its environmental statement was based on information provided by PennEast and further developed from data requests, field investigations, scoping, literature research, alternatives analysis, contacts with federal, state and local agencies, American Indian tribes and the public.

The proposal has been met with opposition locally and in communities along the planned route.

Linda Christman of Towamensing Township said Sunday she was dismayed that "there are 79 instances in the impact statement where information has not been provided but FERC still concludes that the impacts of the pipeline will be minimal."

The pipeline will be defeated, she said, "by ordinary people standing up for what is right."

A draft of the environmental impact statement is available on the FERC website,

www.ferc.gov.Written comments can also be submitted through that website. The deadline for comment on the impact statement is Sept. 12.Other public input hearings have been scheduled for Aug. 15 at the Best Western Lehigh Valley and Conference Center in Bethlehem; Aug. 16 at the Grand Colonial in Hampton, New Jersey; Aug. 16 at Peddler's Village in Lahaska; Aug. 17 at the Best Western Genetti Hotel and Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre; and Aug. 17 at the Clifford B. Memorial Hall in Ewing, New Jersey.