The DEP last week released the 355-page first draft of the Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force report and opened a 30-day public comment period that ends December 14. The draft report is the first product of Governor Wolf’s Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force (PITF), chaired by DEP Secretary John Quigley.
The workgroups provided 184 recommendations that can be found in the draft report. The task force and DEP will accept public comments on the recommendations in the report, which can be found here.
“This is an important first milestone in developing the framework to help guide responsible pipeline development in Pennsylvania,” said Quigley. “This draft report is the culmination of hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of work done by the members of this task force and by the volunteers on the 12 workgroups.”
This week, DEP Secretary John Quigley was challenged by several of the 48 members of the PITC. The Task Force was challenged to devise areas of concern to govern how pipelines will be regulated. Some Task Force members took issue with portions of the draft document. Quigley had previously joked that he was dealing with “the world’s largest committee” assessing how to cope with the building need for natural gas pipelines.
The Pipeline Infrastructure Task Force was created to bring planning and best practices to pipeline projects that move Marcellus Shale products to new markets. This week, industry representatives were reluctant to endorse specific recommendations. And environmental groups argued that many recommendations don’t go far enough. Quigley said, “We’re not trying to have a vote here.” He said that the final version would include a preamble that makes it clear the entire task force does not endorse all recommendations.