An existing natural gas pipeline in Monroe County could be expanding.

The Williams Companies want to expand their Transco pipeline network to increase the amount of gas the network takes from the Marcellus Shale region.

The Transco pipeline network includes 10,000 miles of pipeline from New York City to the Gulf Coast. It carries approximately 15 percent of the nation’s natural gas, according to the Williams Companies.

The project would increase the amount from central Pennsylvania by an equivalent to the gas used by 3 million homes. They would do it in part by expanding a line which runs through Ross, Chestnuthill, Tobyhanna and Tunkhannock townships.

The project includes 13.8 miles of new, 42-inch-wide pipeline in Monroe County, following the path of the existing pipeline. In Luzerne County, the pipeline would be 30 inches wide and 22.3 miles long. There is also a new compressor station proposed in New Jersey.

The company says the project will alleviate supply constraints that affect customers in Pennsylvania and nearby states. Gas from the pipeline is used by customers throughout the network, and exported.

“The project will expand the Northeast’s access to clean, affordable and reliable natural gas,” Williams said in a pamphlet outlining the project.

The project is opposed by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, which warns that it will affect wetlands, forests and streams which support trout and other animals. The pipeline crosses two exceptional value streams and 17 Class A wild Trout streams.

“If Transco’s application is approved, it would allow harmful open cuts across high quality and exceptional value streams, destroying riparian buffers and floodplain,” said Maya Rossum, leader of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

The Department of Environmental Protection has already signed off on one permit which says the project complies with state law when it comes to protecting water quality.

A hearing in October will give the public a chance to comment on two other permit applications under DEP review. One permit is required for projects that enter into wetlands and waterways, and the other is required for projects where the amount of earth disturbed is greater than five acres.

The hearing will take place online. Residents can sign up to speak at the hearing by contacting DEP’s Colleen Connolly at 570-826-2035 or coconnolly@pa.gov. Speakers must register 24 hours in advance.

Written comments will also be accepted until Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. at RA-EPREGIONALPERMIT@pa.gov.