PEIA Members Back Atlantic Sunrise at DEP Hearings

LANCASTER (June 12, 2017)– Members of the Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance (PEIA) today testified before the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to support the safe, responsible development of Williams’ Atlantic Sunrise pipeline.

DEP is convening four hearings over three days along the proposed path of the project, which is designed to supply enough natural gas to meet the daily needs of more than 7 million American homes by connecting producing regions in northeastern Pennsylvania to markets in the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern states. The Lancaster hearing was the second of four. (The first was held simultaneously in Tunkhannock, Wyoming County.)

Study after study shows that pipelines are the safest, most efficient way to transport our energy resources,” said Abe Amoros, state legislative director at Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA!), which has more than 25,000 members in Pennsylvania. “Our trained, skilled workers are chief among the reasons that projects like Atlantic Sunrise can be developed safely and responsibly with minimal environmental impact. And for our workers, projects like this mean good-paying jobs that help them support their families and invest in their communities.

The $3 billion Atlantic Sunrise project is expected to support 8,000 jobs. Construction activities are expected to generate about $16.9 million in additional state taxes. Total payroll will be about $501.6 million during the construction phase alone.

Every Pennsylvanian should benefit from the access we have to safe, reliable energy. At the same time, we need to ensure these projects meet the highest standards for safety both during construction and throughout operation,” said Ed Hill Jr., International Representative, Business Development, for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), with more than 40,000 members statewide. “When trades do the work, that’s good news for our workers and great news for our communities, because having skilled tradesmen on the job enhances safety and efficiency in building, maintenance and operations.

PEIA members have crisscrossed Pennsylvania to support pipeline projects and promote private investments that will help to build out the state’s infrastructure network, with members offering testimony and public remarks at numerous federal, state and local public hearings and forums in dozens of communities in counties across the state.

The alliance also produced a series of videos that showcase the required skillsets and intense training of workers who ensure the safe, responsible development of pipelines and related energy infrastructure projects. The videos are available online at www.paallianceforenergy.com.

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PEIA is a broad-based coalition comprising labor, agriculture, conservation, manufacturing, retail and other business groups focused on increasing access to affordable natural gas and natural gas liquids. More information about the alliance can be found here online at www.paallianceforenergy.com; via Twitter at @PAllies4Energy; or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PAllies4Energy.

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