What lies beneath the fog?

To the Editor:
Early morning fog that settles over the Delaware River in Pike County hides our homes, businesses, professional offices, nursing homes, day care centers, houses of worship, schools and places to enjoy the outdoors. Toxic chemicals will forever change what lies beneath the fog.

Columbia and Tennessee pipeline companies are cooperating to put a new compressor station on Fire Tower Rd. Air pollutants from this facility will be the equivalent of 100 school buses idling 24 hrs/day for 365 days/year. Columbia’s Resource Plan projects 156 tons of emission/year. Our government approved this toxic project; levels are within allowable limits. This is like putting poisons in an inhalator for 1 dose/day. The individual dose may not kill you but the cumulative effect will. These toxins will settle beneath the fog bringing harms including cancer, COPD, asthma, and heart, liver and kidney disease, and central nervous system disorders. The compressor station will also emit 50,762 tons of greenhouse gases.

It has been shown that gas infrastructure projects like this reduce property values. This directly influences every taxpayer. By reducing property values in certain areas the tax burden is shifted to the remaining taxpayers. The pipeline companies pay nothing to assist with economic losses and health care costs.

Our government is not protecting our interests. We must hold them accountable. There is not much time left. The Milford Compressor Station is scheduled to go on line November 2.

Our state and federal elected officials in Harrisburg and Washington have the power to stop this. Concerned citizens should call, email or write to our state and federal representatives to demand that they stop this harmful project. If we do not apply pressure on them now we will be subjected to live with this and all future projects coming down the road.

Greg Lotorto
Milford