Applicant PennEast continued with testimony Tuesday evening before the Kidder Township Zoning Hearing Board.

There were about 50 people in attendance, as well as local elected officials and first responders.PennEast has applied for a special exception and waiver to build the only compressor station that will be stationed along the nearly 120-mile PennEast pipeline which, if approved, will run from Dallas Township to Mercer County, New Jersey. The pipeline will carry natural gas that results from the fracking operations north of Kidder.Attorney Donald Lewis for PennEast started by calling on acoustics expert Brian Hellebuyck to continue his testimony.Hellebuyck testified that the design of each compressor station is unique and that all of the information supplied as part of the application process has been "calculated" rather than actual sound measurements.Hellebuyck also said that once the station is built, additional data will be taken to make sure that the sounds emitted from the station fall within acceptable limits as set by the township's ordinance.When asked about how a specific complaint might be handled regarding noise, Jeffrey England, senior project manager for PennEast, said that if a problem arose in the past someone was sent to do a noise study, determine if a problem existed and that the problem was fixed.When pressed by members of the hearing board, England admitted that it "probably" took about two weeks to determine what the problem was and then about two months before the issue was fully resolved. England said that the company mitigated the problem temporarily once it was determined to be an issue.The second witness calledwas Sarah Binckley of AECOM, an engineering firm hired to handle parts of the permitting process. Binckley, a professional wetlands scientist, specializes in natural resources studies and permitting.Binckley testified to the environmental impact concerns and stormwater control on the site.She said the compressor building and warehouse would be served by a well fed by groundwater and that the site would tie into the existing waste treatment facility at Jack Frost.The compressor, warehouse and office space will disturb 20 acres of the 74-acre site.Binckley said that the stormwater plan will comply with the requirements of the township ordinance.Binckley also said that the overall environmental impact studies are currently under review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and that a final report on the impact of the pipeline is due Feb. 17.Scott Anderson of AECOM, who is a principal engineer working in the area of compliance and permitting, also testified regarding air quality.Anderson answered questions about air quality and air quality studies. One of the concerns with regard to air quality is the production of nitrogen oxide, or NOX.Anderson said NOX is a pollutant that is present whenever you have combustion. He testified that PennEast will control the production of NOX at the station by using the newest technology available.SoLoNOX technology creates that lowest emissions from gas turbines and will enable the compressors to maintain emission levels of less than 15 parts per million, Anderson said.Anderson said emissions testing will be performed in accordance with a preapproved protocol to ensure that the compressors stay within limits.The hearing board askedabout testing air quality after the station begins operations."A third party is usually hired to conduct the testing in accordance with the prescribed protocols," Anderson said. "An inspector is usually present from the DEP regional office."Anderson said the test results are available from the DEP office under the Freedom of Information Act.One issue that came up a number of times over the course of the evening was the subject of a "blow down" event.A blow down occurs when the compressed natural gas is released into the air for either a maintenance issue, which England indicated would be a small amount, orduring an emergency shutdown.An emergency shutdown is rare and would involve the release of all of the gas in the facility at the time of the emergency situation. A full blow down would also occur about once a year for facility maintenance.Anderson said, the volume of gas released during an emergency shutdown would be about 50,000 standard cubic feet of natural gas.England said natural gas is lighter than air and would rise quickly into the atmosphere. England said PennEast is required to report to the Department of Environmental Protection how much gas is released every year.PennEast concluded its direct testimony after about two and a half hours.Kidder Township solicitor Daniel Miscavige suggested that the township be given time to digest all of the information provided by the applicant before deciding if they would call witnesses and who the township would call.Zoning hearing board solicitor Cynthia Yurchak agreed that with so much information being produced that board members also needed time to review what was said and presented to them. Yurchak also requested that Lewis prepare a memorandum summarizing the applicant's testimony in support of the application.The hearing was continued until 6

p.m.Nov. 29at the Town Center at Split Rock Resort, at which time the township will be first to put on its witnesses.Once the township has concluded its direct testimony, residents who have requested to intervene in the matter will be able to make public comments to the board in support of or opposition to the compressor station.