Public Hearing Set for Gas Compression Station Expansion

People living near a newly built gas compression station on Turner Road in Hart County are being asked to attend a public hearing next week about a plan to increase plant production.

 In a notice from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission dated April 22^nd regarding the public hearing, Elba Liquifaction Co., LLC plans to add another 16,000 horsepower of compression to their new Hartwell Compression station, which went online April 1^st.

Built over the past year by Elba Liquefaction Company, L.L.C. (ELC) and Southern LNG Company, L.L.C. (SLNG) out of Birmingham, AL,  the Turner Road compression station sits on just over eight acres and is one of a series of gas compression stations built or being built to pump liquified natural gas  to to SLNG’s existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal located at Elba Island in Chatham County, Georgia (Elba Terminal) for shipment overseas.

Another compression station is being built in Jefferson, GA.  FERC spokesman Craig Cano says the public hearing next Tuesday is a requirement before any new work can begin.

“It’s an opportunity for the Commission to gather input from the public and interested parties about the project,” he said. “This is the scoping process and it will allow the Commission to determine what issues need to be evaluated in the environmental assessment,” he said.

Cano said the representatives from FERC will discuss the potential impact of an increase in gas compression on the environment as well as on air quality, noise, and public safety, among other things.

One woman who has fought the project from the beginning says that’s why it is  important for people living near the plant to come to the hearing to voice their concerns and ask questions.

Last year, Melanie Turner was successful in getting the station project moved from property across the street from her house on Craft Road in Elbert County to the Turner Road site in Hart County.   Turner claims the gas compression station is dangerous and harmful to the environment.

“For one thing the noise pollution,” she said. “Those turbines will be going 24×7 and the property is lighted with flood lights that will light up the sky like daylight. Also, this thing is releasing gas into the air, which hits the ground and goes into our ground water.”

Another fear of Turner’s is the possibility of an explosion.

“This plant is manned remotely from Alabama. It’s totally an unmanned facility. What if there’s an explosion? We don’t have the resources here to handle that kind of catastrophe,” she said.

Hart County administrator Jon Caime said Tuesday, however, since the project began last year, he has had few complaints.

“In the beginning, we had some people call concerned about the noise, but we haven’t had any comments since then,” Caime said. “Now that the plant is up and running, we haven’t had any more comments or concerns.”

The public hearing will take place next Tuesday evening at 7p at the Hart County Public Library on Benson St. in Hartwell.

For those who cannot make the hearing, written comments may be submitted by May 22nd to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, c/o Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426.