National Fuel Gas Supply Corp. and Empire Pipeline Inc. have received a favorable ruling from the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the 97-mile, 24-in. OD Northern Access natural gas pipeline. The court ruled against a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Sierra Club effort to block the pipeline based on legal deadlines.
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said in 2018 that the DEC had waived its certification authority on the project by failing to act within 1 year (OGJ Online, Aug. 7, 2018). DEC and Sierra Club then contested this decision in court.
Northern Access would carry gas from western Pennsylvania to National Fuel’s existing Porterville compressor station in Erie County, NY. National Fuel will install an additional 5,350 hp of compression at Porterville and build an interconnection with Tennessee Gas Pipeline at a second Erie County location.
Empire will build a new 22,214-hp compressor station, 2 miles of 16-in. and 24-in. pipeline, and gas dehydration in Niagara County, NY. Dehydration would occur before further shipment of gas to an interconnect at Chippawa, Ont.
FERC last year granted a 3-year extension for completion of the project. The companies expect to begin construction in 2022 and for Northern Access to enter service in 2023.
