Skip to content

Leidy Southeast Expansion Pipeline (Dormant)

Editor’s note: This issue is currently dormant. We will continue monitoring the situation and may take up the issue in the future.

The Leidy Southeast Expansion Project

The Leidy Southeast Expansion Project (LSE project) is proposed for construction by Transcontinental Pipeline Company (“Transco”). Transco is requesting to construct and operate the LSE project in order to provide 469,000 dekatherms per day (dt/day) of natural gas from receipt points on Transco’s Leidy Line in Pennsylvania to various delivery points along Transco’s Mainline and Leidy systems in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Transco proposes that in order to transport this volume of natural gas it must construct approximately 28.36 miles of 42-inch diameter pipeline looping, adding of 92,700 horsepower (hp) at four existing compressor stations, and modifying of various other above ground facilities. 

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network challenged the project before the DC Circuit Court of Appeals on March 10, 2015.  

The Franklin Loop

The Franklin Loop would cut across part of the Delaware River Basin in Monroe County that is made up of all special protection streams.  According to Williams Transco Resource Reports, the proposed pipeline would cut across the Lehigh River Watershed and would cross 17 perennial streams, three intermittent streams and five ephemeral streams.  Pipeline cuts would include, for example, the Lehigh River, Tunkhannock Creek, Kendall Creek, Two Mile Run, and Tobyhanna Creek – all waterbodies are designated either High Quality or Exceptional Value in this proposed loop.  The pipeline cut across Tobyhanna Creek would span 70 feet; the cut across the Lehigh River (EV) would span 55 feet; the cut across Tunjhannock Creek would span 30 feet.  Williams Transco is proposing a flowing, dry ditch,dam-and-pump, or dry flumed crossing for most of the streams in this loop despite their current special protection designations.   The Franklin Loop would impact 31 wetlands with a total wetland disturbance of 16.24 acres.  Wetland disturbance breakout reported by Williams Transco is:  4.37 emergent wetlands, 0.64 permanent impact of forested wetland, 0.65 temporary forested wetland disturbance, and 10.58 scrub shrub disturbance.  The Franklin Loop in the Delaware Watershed has more wetland disturbance than any of the other loops for this project (entire project states 22.22 acres of disturbance – Franklin Loop makes up 16.24 of that 22.22 acreage). 

Franklin Loop hydrostatic testing is also being proposed to withdraw from Tobyhanna Creek (MP 65.5) and the Lehigh River (MP61.05). 

To see the Delaware Riverkeeper Network’s initial questions and concerns about the project review the comments we submitted to FERC in June, 2013 listed below.

On October 2, 2013 the Delaware Riverkeeper Network filed to intervene with FERC on the Leidy Line docket.  Intervention motion in documents below.

In January Delaware Riverkeeper Network asked for a rescission of the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued for the project and urged rehearing.  

To follow the process and documents for this project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission:  
Sign up at FERC.gov 
Sign yourself up with an account and password and then ask for an eSubscription
You will want to search for and then sign up to follow Docket No. CP13-551

To see a map of this project and the others proposed for the Delaware River Watershed view our
pipeline map

To learn more about pipelines in general check out the documents and information at: http://stopthepipelines.org/