Testimony began Monday in Kidder Township on an application for a compressor station for the PennEast pipeline. The station will be located between Route 940 and Route 80 at Industrial Road.

In September PennEast filed an application for a special exception permit to build the station, a request for a zoning variance for building height.Zoning officer Robert Dobash said he originally denied the application because of an error in how it was submitted. Dobash testified that PennEast resubmitted its application later in the correct format.PennEastPennEast’s first witness was Jeffrey England, senior project manager for the pipeline project. England said he is responsible for the overall engineering, permitting, design and construction of the pipeline.The PennEast pipeline is designed to cover 120 miles from Dallas Township, Pennsylvania to Mercer County, New Jersey. The goal of PennEast is to bring low cost, locally sourced gas to Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.England testified that PennEast has applications pending before a number of federal and state agencies which will need to issue permits for the project. These agencies will look at studies on the pipeline’s effect on air quality, water quality, erosion and sediment and stormwater.The project will also be examined by the U.S. Department of Transportation for safety standards and plans.England said that the project is expected to be approved in the first quarter of 2017 and construction should begin sometime in 2018.The application pending before the Kidder Township zoning hearing board is strictly pertaining to the compressor station.The compressorMarco Calderon, project manager for the compressor station, said he would oversee all of the work done on the project.“The station compresses the gas so that it has enough energy to move along the pipeline,” Calderon said.Calderon said there will be only one compressor station along the length of the pipeline. The station will consist of three buildings, three compressor units, gas driven turbines, office space and a warehouse.Calderon was asked why Kidder Township was chosen for the station.“This section of the pipeline is where our engineering studies identified a need for compression of the gas,” said Calderon. “This is based on studies of gas flow, delivery requirements and connection points.”“We also had discussions with local stakeholders and we agreed that this would be the optimal location.”The company also took into account the low levels of habitation in the area before purchasing 74 acres for the station. The actual construction site will be approximately 20 acres.Calderon said he has been working with township officials over the past year and that the company has conducted a number of tours of other compressor stations with township personnel. In addition, meetings have been held with local police, fire and emergency management personnel to go over safety plans and training.Other studiesThe company has also begun conducting geo-tech and noise studies on the property located between Route 940 and Route 80 at Industrial Road.Dale Krysinski, engineer, discussed the various safety hazards and risks associated with the station and the mitigation measures as well.The station will be manned 24 hours a day, with security monitoring on site.Krysinski said township fire chiefs have no objections to PennEast’s plans.Brian Hellebuyck a professional engineer specializing in acoustics and vibration will be first to testify when the hearing resumes at 6 p.m. Nov. 15.No residents or organizations requested to intervene in the proceedings. Only represented parties will be able to question witnesses over the course of the hearingLinda Christman of Save Carbon County attempted to ask the chair to delay the follow-up meeting until after Nov. 27.Christman said the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sent a list of questions to PennEast regarding its application. Christman said that the letter included questions directly related to the compressor station.PennEast’s attorney objected to Christman’s attempt to speak to the board claiming she had no standing because she was not a Kidder Township resident. Christman’s comments were ignored and the meeting was set for Nov. 15.