When the Energy Industry Collides with Conservation and Planning
Thursday, July 31, 2008
7-9 pm
Brandywine River Musem Lecture Room
US Route 1, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania and Delaware, over 440,000 acres have been permanently protected by
nearly 80 land trusts. Now, newly proposed electric transmission lines and gas pipelines
could violate thousands of these protected acres, including battlefields, municipal, state
and federal parks, and other historic places, as well as significantly impact
municipal planning efforts in Chester County and throughout Pennsylvania.
The United States Department of Energy has announced final designation for
two National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors, and the proposed Mid-Atlantic
corridor includes the entire state of Delaware and 52 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania, along
with all or part of Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, virginia, West Virginia,
and the District of Columbia. This designation provides electric utility companies with an
expedited process in the siting of major electric transmission lines.
Several gas pipelines, which can impact permanently protected land as well as
municipal planning, are also proposed for the area. For example, the AES/Sparrows Point
Mid-Atlantic Pipeline is seeking Federal Energy Regulation Commission approval to
construct a new gas pipeline that would extend from the Chesapeake Bay for approximately
87 miles, including 40 miles in Pennsylvania and impacting conservancy-eased lands.
The pipeline will affect 13 municipalities, and will involve multiple stream crossings
through the Octoraro, Big Elk, and Brandywine watersheds.
Refreshments served at 6:30 pm. RSVP to Marti Coats at mcoats@brandywine.org or call
610/388-8351
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