Posts by Chris Mele
Is this the beginning of the end for Gibbstown LNG project?
Breaking news: Since the time of publication of this story, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration confirmed that it has, in fact, received a renewal application for the special permit to allow the transportation of LNG by rail for the Wyalusing-to-Gibbstown project. The application was received on Tuesday, the day the permit was set…
Read MorePower plants on the Delaware: Abandoned but still celebrated
Behemoth buildings that once housed power plants and supplied electricity to Philadelphia dot the Delaware — remains from more than a century ago — that remind us of the history and development of the region. Many of these former generating stations, some of which were built in the early 1900s and the 1910s by the…
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Mariner East 2 Pipeline charged in water contamination leaks
The developer of the Mariner East 2 Pipeline faces dozens of counts of violations of Pennsylvania environmental laws related to contaminating waterways.
Rosemary Fuller of Delaware County, Pa., never had a problem with the well water at her house until construction began on a pipeline known as Mariner East 2, which would send natural gas liquids across Pennsylvania to an industrial complex on the Delaware River. A land agent, acting on behalf of the pipeline builder, Sunoco, had…
Read MorePennEast Pipeline pauses land acquisitions in Pennsylvania
The proposed PennEast Pipeline announced an abrupt halt to legal proceedings to secure needed property easements for its 118-mile Pennsylvania-to-New Jersey natural gas pipeline, a move that raises new questions about the project’s future. PennEast cited a desire to clear regulatory hurdles before resuming the court cases to secure the approximately 70 properties it needs…
Read MorePlan pushed to make Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area a national park
Legging out at 38 letters, “Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area” does not exactly roll off the tongue. Now, instead, imagine a moniker like “Delaware Water Gap National Park and Preserve.” Even though that name is longer – at 39 letters – it features the marquee words “national park.” That’s a phrase that members of…
Read MoreNew obstacles loom large for Wyalusing-Gibbstown LNG project
A contentious plan to export liquified natural gas from a Delaware River port faces new political, economic and environmental headwinds that raise questions about its future. A new White House administration, a global market that was once white-hot that has considerably cooled in the past two years and pandemic-related workforce disruptions cast long shadows over…
Read MoreMeg McGuire, founder of Delaware Currents, is honored by PennFuture
Meg McGuire, the founder, publisher and editor of Delaware Currents, an online news magazine dedicated to covering the Delaware River and its watershed, has been named PennFuture’s 2021 Woman of Environmental Media, Marketing and Communications. The recognition honors a person who has established herself as “a credible source for presenting the public with information about…
Read MoreU.S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of PennEast Pipeline’s Use of Eminent Domain
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a company behind a proposed Pennsylvania-to-New Jersey natural gas pipeline has the authority to use eminent domain to acquire lands controlled by New Jersey for the project. The justices ruled 5-4 that the PennEast Pipeline can initiate condemnation proceedings against the state for the 116-mile project, which…
Read MoreFederal judge dismisses fracking lawsuit brought by 2 Pa. state lawmakers
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by two Pennsylvania Republican state lawmakers against the Delaware River Basin Commission in which they claimed a moratorium the agency imposed on fracking for natural gas was a regulatory overreach. The suit, which was brought by state Senators Gene Yaw and Lisa Baker, said a 2009 moratorium…
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Gibbstown LNG Dock 1 got Coast Guard’s “Letter of Recommendation”
Letter dated Dec. 18, 2019
By Chris Mele Hazardous materials regularly roll through Northeastern Pennsylvania communities by rail and road and it’s left to local first responders to be ready for when things go wrong. Haz-mat incidents vary in degrees of danger, records show. Commonly, crews are called to overturned trucks leaking diesel fuel. Infrequently, there are more serious incidents,…
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