Throughout the past summer, environmental groups, government departments, and various commissions have been back and forth about a controversial addition to Lancaster County's countryside: a pipeline. The Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline currently runs down the east coast of the United States and provides natural gas to the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern states. While the pipeline already provides a significant amount of the natural gas consumed by Pennsylvanians, the Williams Energy Partners wishes to expand it's pipeline throughout a broader section of the keystone state. The company, however, has faced much controversy and dislike from various environmental groups, surrounding counties, and citizens.
While William Energy Partners boasts many benefits to introducing more pipeline to the Pennsylvania country-side, many of Lancaster County's citizens have been opposed to the idea from the beginning; after hearing that an out-of-state gas corporation was planning a pipeline through many of the county's beloved natural preserves, including Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve, citizens were strongly opposed and sought ways to stop the project. Many in the county asked how the pipeline benefits Lancaster? While the route of the pipeline has been moved dozens of times since it's original proposal, the pipeline project continues on and still plans to disrupt much of Lancaster County's farmland, forests, and homes.
The Williams Energy Partners advertises that the pipeline brings additional electric to Pennsylvania, creates jobs, and will increase the economic activity by 1.6 billion in certain regions. While many farmers are concerned about their land, the company reassures farmers that they use practices that help return land to its previous state as soon as possible. While Williams Energy Partners has spent months and years reassuring the county that they won't have any lasting negative impacts from the pipeline, citizens have still asked if there's any reason at all the pipeline needs to enter Lancaster County and disrupt the land. To many, the new pipeline route planned by Williams' seems as if it may just be a shortcut so the group can export fracked gas quicker and cut out the slower, pre-existing pipeline.
The county has remained largely against the idea of the pipeline from the beginning; along with citizens, groups such as Lancaster Against Pipelines, Lancaster County Conservancy, and Lancaster Farmland Trust are all fighting against the proposed pipeline, especially as the date to finalize the pipeline plan draws closer. Many in the county are concerned about the vast amount of protected land within Lancaster County, the health of the Lancaster citizens due to pipelines endangering the water and air, and, of course, the environmental impact on the forests and the Susquehanna Riverlands.
Overall, Lancaster County largely believes that the citizens and the surrounding land will lose more by allowing the pipeline than if they continue protesting. By examining the results of other counties that have allowed the pipelines (pipe leaks, pollution, explosions, fires, and severe damage to the local communities), Lancaster County remains strongly against Williams' pipeline plan. Lancaster County wishes to remain pipeline free.
