CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

The New York State Public Service Commission will hold a public statement hearing in Lebanon Wednesday night to solicit feedback on a proposed natural gas pipeline.

The 8.2-mile steel pipeline built by Norse Energy Corp., previously known as Nornew Inc., would run through the towns of Eaton and Lebanon, parallel to an existing plastic line. It would be buried up to four feet below the ground, crossing farmland, forests, wetlands, roads and several brooks and streams.

Norse Spokesman Dennis Holbrook said the project is the next step in the developer’s work in the area. The initial plastic pipeline served during the company’s initial exploration, transporting natural gas at a low pressure.

The high-pressure steel pipeline is an upgrade that will allow the developer to move more gas from its wells in Madison County and the neighboring Chenango County township of Smyrna to a compressor station in Eaton.

“You tend to start smaller,” Holbrook said. “When you have more gas to move, you want to move it more efficiently. It makes sense to plan for the future.”

(Click to read entire article)