Hundreds of people turned out in opposition to a proposed natural gas pipeline. Conestoga Township is Lancaster County is at the center of the opposition; the pipeline would cut it in half.
Residents told the township supervisors they want them to pass a law banning infrastructure like the pipeline.
The township supervisors have not taken a public position on the issue.
"I was surprised by the amount of opposition, I was surprised by the number of signatures and I was surprised by how many people voted in Conestoga Township on Election Day," says supervisor Craig Eshleman. "It was much higher than usual, so I think there's a good bit of organized opposition to this."
The supervisors will vote on the measure on December 2nd. But a spokesman for the pipeline company, Williams Partners, says it may not matter if they pass the ordinance because the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is the only agency that controls the siting of pipeline facilities.
Spokesman Chris Stockton said in a statement:
"We understand that there are members of the community who have concerns about the project. We take those concerns seriously and are committed to working to address those issues the best we can. Natural gas pipelines are not something most people give much thought to, so they are out of sight, out of mind. What they don’t realize is that we’ve already been operating safely in PA for decades, and that they depend on this type of infrastructure to enjoy their quality of life. We’ve also heard from a lot of people who support the project. Most of the support has been from individuals, chambers or business groups who recognize the economic benefit of the project, in addition to recognizing the important role it plays in supporting the state’s natural gas industry and its 200,000 industry jobs."
