North Strabane Supervisors Approve Natural Gas Pipeline Easements

North Strabane supervisors last week approved easements with Sunoco for the construction of a 12-inch diameter pipeline that will cut across township property on both state Route 519 (near the municipal building) and Lindley Road.

The township negotiated a payment of about $100,000 in exchange for the easement agreements.

Ethane and propane are byproducts of natural gas development. In order to utilize these byproducts, a new 54-mile pipeline is needed to transport ethane and propane as natural gas liquids from the MarkWest facility in Houston to Delmont, Pa. This will be built as part of what is being called the Mariner East Project.

It will link with an existing pipeline that runs from western Pennsylvania to the Marcus Hooks facility located in Delaware County just outside of Philadelphia.

A letter from Sunoco to the township indicates that the company has been notifying property owners along the proposed pipeline route about upcoming surveys and possible feasibility studies. 

According to information provided to the township from Sunoco, the total amount of propane expected to be transported each day by the pipeline is about 40,000 barrels. About 25,000 barrels of propane is also estimated to be transported.

Pipeline construction is expected to being in the fall, and is expected to be completed sometime in 2014.

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