Transcontinental Gas Pipeline
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Transcontinental Gas Pipeline is an operating natural gas pipeline.[1]
Contents
Location
The pipeline runs from the Gulf coast of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania to deliver gas to the New Jersey and New York City area.
Project Details
- Operator: Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco)
- Parent Company: Williams Partners L.P.
- Current capacity: 15580 Million cubic feet per day
- Proposed capacity: 15770 Million cubic feet per day
- Length: 10,200 miles / 16,415 km
- Status: Operating
- Start Year: 1950
Background
The Transcontinental Gas Pipeline is operated by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco), a subsidiary of Williams Partners L.P.[2]
Proposed Expansions
In September 2017 Transco applied to FERC for permission for the Rivervale South to Market project, which would consist of uprating 10.35 miles of existing Transco pipeline, adding a 0.61-mile pipeline loop, and upgrades and modifications to existing pipeline facilities, all in New Jersey.[3] The project would increase capacity by 190 mcfd.[3] The planned in-service date is November 2019.[3]
In November 2017 Transco applied to FERC for permission to proceed with its Gateway Expansion Project, which includes building a new compressor unit at Transco’s existing Compressor Station 303 in Essex County, NJ, a new valve and electric transformer also in Essex County, and equipment upgrades at a metering station in Passaic County, NJ.[4]
Opposition
Environmentalists warned that the proposed expansion would damage wetlands in New Jersey. The pipeline would require a trench to be dug in the wetlands, a natural infrastructure that provides wildlife habitats, filters storm water and act as a flood buffer, noted Hackensack Riverkeeper Bill Sheeran. "[5] "The wetlands are the first line of defense against really bad things that can happen to really good people," Sheeran said. "This is just another corporation trying to chip away at the environmental quality of the Meadowlands."
Settlements
In a 2002 settlement with the EPA and U.S. Department of Justice, Williams Partners agreed to test the soil and groundwater near some of its compressor stations for contamination. This settlement also included a $1.4 million fine and a cleanup program for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB).[6] “This settlement resolves Transco’s past illegal disposal practices and commits the company to a comprehensive testing and cleanup program that will protect public health and the environment,” said Sylvia Lowrance, EPA’s Acting Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.[6]
Connection to Sabine Pass LNG
In 2017 the pipeline was extended to connect to the Sabine Pass LNG facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.[7] In February 2018 the Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ordered a seven-day shutdown for a storage tank at the facility in which supercold natural gas leaked between the tank's inner and outer walls, on Jan. 22, 2017[8] An investigation of the leak uncovered 11 similar incidents that had occurred between 2008 and 2016.[8] "This incident is a reminder that the expansion of LNG projects poses a grave threat to our communities and our climate," said Nathan Matthews, a staff attorney for the Sierra Club, which released a copy of the report to the public after discovering it on Friday. "It's a relief that no one was hurt, but allowing the facility to continue to operate until it's clear how widespread these issues are would be extremely reckless."[8]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ Transcontinental Gas Pipeline, Wikipedia, accessed January 2018
- ↑ Transco Initiates Private Debt Issuance Williams, Jan. 19, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Transco seeks FERC approval for Riverdale South project, Kallanish Energy, Sep. 5, 2017
- ↑ Williams Files FERC Appl for Transco “Gateway Expansion Project”, Marcellus Drilling News, Nov. 16, 2017
- ↑ Gas pipeline plan in Meadowlands concerns environmentalists, NJ.com, Sep. 17, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation (Transco) Multimedia Settlement, EPA, Feb. 1, 2002
- ↑ Williams Partners Expands Pipeline Capacity to Deliver Natural Gas to Cheniere’s LNG Export Facility at Sabine Pass, Williams, Feb. 1, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sabine Pass LNG ordered to shut down leaking gas storage tanks, The Times-Picayune, Feb. 10, 2018
Related SourceWatch articles
External resources
External articles
Wikipedia also has an article on Transcontinental Gas Pipeline (Transcontinental Pipeline). This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License].
