This is part of the 3D flyover video series of the PennEast routes. In this installment, we look at the route in the Wilkes-Barre, PA vicinity, specifically around mile markers 13 to 6.
As always, the 400′ survey corridor is in smokey gray, the pipeline 50′ permanent easement line is in red, and the light blue areas are temporary construction zones. There is also a 100′ construction right of way not shown here.
This portion of the route is packed with all sorts of horrifying impacts.
We start right off the bat with incredibly steep slopes near mile marker 13. The pipeline route climbs straight up a slope through old growth forest.
At 0:43 into the video, we see yet another example of how the route has almost no co-location at all. The route goes right through some more old growth forest.
At 1:47 it clips the west side of a quarry operation, at 2:06 they go through ANOTHER QUARRY. All these quarries involve regular blasting and PennEast isn’t “near” them. It. Is. Going. Through. Them.
At 2:28 we see the route heading into town. Dozens of residential houses are within 200′ or less of the construction zones. At 2:37 we see a baseball diamond with home plate about 400′ from the center line.
At 3:00 we see one of the most heart breaking and dangerous aspects of the PennEast proposal. The Susquehanna River crossing. PennEast originally planned to bore under the river, until it finally heard the cacophony of everyone in the region screaming at them that the Susquehanna river bottom is unstable mud and gunk that’s hundreds of feet deep and filled with carcinogens from mining operations.
So the brilliant minds at PennEast decided to open trench it instead. At 3:10 you can see that the crossing point involves an island in the middle of the river. PennEast’s plan is to damn up one side of the island, open trench through the gunk and mud and lay the pipe down. Push the gunk and mud back on top. And then just open up their dam and let all that pollute material wash down stream.
THEN THEY DO IT AGAIN ON THE OTHER SIDE.
All of this is just a couple of miles down stream from the infamous Knox Mine Disaster. PennEast hasn’t the slightest clue what’s really here and what impacts their open trenching will have. But history tells us there are substantial risks here.
The video closes out with PennEast routing within 400′ of another baseball diamond for good measure.
The Cost of the Pipeline 
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