Municipal News
- Last Updated on Thursday, 09 May 2013 02:49
High Volume Liquid Fuels Pipeline Will Cross Union Twp.
By Paul Chasko
Surveyors are at work in Union Twp. laying out a section of the Sunoco Project Mariner East Pipeline that will deliver propane and ethane collected from fluid-rich Marcellus gas wells in Southwestern PA.
By Paul Chasko
Surveyors are at work in Union Twp. laying out a section of the Sunoco Project Mariner East Pipeline that will deliver propane and ethane collected from fluid-rich Marcellus gas wells in Southwestern PA.
Sunoco Logistics proposes to construct a high-pressure/high-volume 12 inch pipeline from a MarkWest Energy Partners Processing plant in Houston, PA to an existing Sunoco main trunk line near Delmont, PA. The natural gas liquids will then be transported to Marcus Hook , PA to separate, process and chill the natural gas liquid byproducts to be distributed to local, regional and international markets. Sale of liquid propane and ethane which are byproducts of Marcellus gas wells supplements the sale of natural gas from the wells.
The Mariner East Pipeline will cut across the southern portion of Union Twp. from West to East. The pipeline will enter Union Twp. from Nottingham Twp. after crossing under Beagle Rd. and immediately enter pumping station #16 to be located in the Southwest corner of the township. The line will then proceed east through mostly open farmland crossing under Mingo Church Rd. to a pumping station (#17). The line will cross under State Rt. 88 just north of Mingo Presbyterian Church and proceed east to cut under Patterson Road, then across open farmland to another pumping station (#18). The line will cut under State Rt. 43 (PA Turnpike) to pass north of the fly-ash dump to a cut under State Rt. 837 near Houston Run Rd. and then under the Monongahela River into Bunola. The maps provided to Union Twp. to date have been preliminary but the proposed route is as described above.
Property owners in Union and other municipalities along the proposed 50 foot wide planned right-of-way are nervously following the progress. The engineers are locating the right of way as far from homes and structures as is practical as the liquids to be transported in the line, according to safety experts, have a high explosive potential. The Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration has classified Mariner East as a “Highly Volatile Liquid Pipeline”. The pipeline would move as many as 70,000 barrels of the volatile liquid per day. Although the Federal agency will perform visual inspections and safety tests, other aspects of construction will depend on local land-use law (ordinances).
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During the Ordinance codification work done by General Code, It was suggested that the Union Twp. Board put an Amusement Tax Ordinance in place. The solicitor prepared the document. A motion passed to advertise the adoption of the amusement tax ordinance 4/1. Board member Parish voted no as he believed the ordinance wasn’t necessary.
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A letter was received from Cougar Land Services requesting to perform Seismic mapping of the strata beneath Union Twp. This precipitated some discussion. The board agreed that any roads carrying their heavy seismic test equipment would need to be bonded and a “Road Use Agreement” would need to be filed. It was also noted that the Twp. has a Seismic Testing Ordinance in place that should be followed. The board agreed to meet with the Company at 6:00 pm on April 8 – before the regular scheduled meeting. The meeting will be advertised for public attendance.
In Regular Busness:
All five board members were present at this Meeting as were the Solicitor, Treasurer, Secretary, Zoning and Code Enforcement Officers.
• Minutes for meetings of February 25 and March 11 were reviewed and approved.
• Payment of payrolls #5 and #6 for a total of $23,460.18 was approved.
• The zoning and code enforcement officers reported having met with representatives of the Mariner East Pipeline. The Officers asked for names of property owners that may be affected and a more detailed location map of road cuts for the pipeline.
• The solicitor reported that work was underway on the Union Gardens code violations.
• The board requested copies of the engineer’s reports on BDH.
• The Recreation Board is considering construction of a walking trail through the Twp. Recreation Park. The board asked that the Twp. Engineer be involved to ascertain what safety issues should be considered. The board approved the walking trail proposal subject to review by the Twp. Engineer.
• Payment of General Fund Bills in the amount of $18,632.21 was approved.
• The Buczinski planning module was approved.
• Bids were opened for the sale of two old Twp. Tractors. The highest bid received was accepted.
• Fran R. Culver was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Planning Commission with his term to run from March 1, 2013 to March 1, 2017.
• Starting batteries for two emergency generators owned and maintained by Union Twp. need replaced. A price of $286.58 had been obtained. Supervisor Tullai was asked to check on warranties prior to approving the purchase and to get additional quotes.
• A closed executive session was requested by the solicitor. After rejoining the public meeting the solicitor announced that Finleyville Airport litigation and personnel issues were discussed.
All five board members were present at this Meeting as were the Solicitor, Treasurer, Secretary, Zoning and Code Enforcement Officers.
• Minutes for meetings of February 25 and March 11 were reviewed and approved.
• Payment of payrolls #5 and #6 for a total of $23,460.18 was approved.
• The zoning and code enforcement officers reported having met with representatives of the Mariner East Pipeline. The Officers asked for names of property owners that may be affected and a more detailed location map of road cuts for the pipeline.
• The solicitor reported that work was underway on the Union Gardens code violations.
• The board requested copies of the engineer’s reports on BDH.
• The Recreation Board is considering construction of a walking trail through the Twp. Recreation Park. The board asked that the Twp. Engineer be involved to ascertain what safety issues should be considered. The board approved the walking trail proposal subject to review by the Twp. Engineer.
• Payment of General Fund Bills in the amount of $18,632.21 was approved.
• The Buczinski planning module was approved.
• Bids were opened for the sale of two old Twp. Tractors. The highest bid received was accepted.
• Fran R. Culver was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Planning Commission with his term to run from March 1, 2013 to March 1, 2017.
• Starting batteries for two emergency generators owned and maintained by Union Twp. need replaced. A price of $286.58 had been obtained. Supervisor Tullai was asked to check on warranties prior to approving the purchase and to get additional quotes.
• A closed executive session was requested by the solicitor. After rejoining the public meeting the solicitor announced that Finleyville Airport litigation and personnel issues were discussed.
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