Marcellus shale natural gas driller proposes compressor station in Upper Burrell

Olympus Energy is seeking state approval to develop a Marcellus shale natural gas compressor station in Upper Burrell, off White Cloud Road on undeveloped industrial property owned by Arconic.

Olympus Energy of Canonsburg has three well pads to tap natural gas in the Marcellus shale rock formation approved by the township and state Department of Environmental Protection in various stages of development. The compressor station, known as the Rogers compressor, is proposed near the Calliope well pad site, also off White Cloud Road.

The proposed station is strategically located to maintain the pressure and flow of the natural gas to take it to the market, said Kimberly Price, Olympus spokeswoman.

The company has applications pending with the DEP, including one for an air permit, she said.

Next steps would include submitting plans to township officials.

“Throughout this process, Olympus will also be working to address the questions and concerns of nearby residents,” she said.

The planning commission will review the proposal and make recommendations to township supervisors, who will have final say on approval, township Solicitor Steve Yakopec said.

Residents such as Dan Myers want to learn more.

“How much noise will the compressor station make? This is a noise that won’t be going away,” Myers said. He also wants to know more about the facility’s emissions.

Emissions from compressor stations are troubling to environmentalists such as the Fracktracker Alliance.

“Compressor stations in the gas industry are sources of serious air pollutants known to harm humans and the environment,” the group posited on its website.

However, the DEP has been measuring and testing emissions from compressor stations and has found that emissions for the pollutant nitrogen dioxide are below the national clean air standards.

“Over the past decade, DEP has undertaken multiple studies to attempt to quantify ambient emissions from oil and gas operations, including a yearlong monitoring project in Southwestern Pennsylvania,” DEP spokesman Jamar Thrasher said.

He cited two cases of DEP sampling for ambient nitrogen dioxide concentrations from the Barto compressor station in Penn Township, Lycoming County, and the Towanda site in Bradford located among more than 25 compressor stations within a 20-mile radius.

The DEP found concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant that can cause respiratory illnesses, “well below” the national standards at the Barto station and the Towanda site.