Overlapping Programming | Wastewater Facilities | Drinking Water Supply |
Solid and Hazardous Waste | Electric, Power & Pipelines | Communications | Stormwater Facilities
Electric, Power and Pipelines
Expanding pipeline “mega-corridors” will affect future planning for municipalities on an unknown level.
With the proposed multi-state expansion of pipeline corridors, such as the Sparrow’s Point/Transcontinental Pipeline project, municipalities will need to plan for the future, taking into consideration the scale of projects and corridors that may be unlike anything they have known, to date. Additionally, existing pipeline infrastructure may need to be upgraded and/or expanded to accommodate these larger capacities, while minimizing the risk to health and safety of residents.
The awarding of utility easements on private property without regard to future development has the potential to limit the function and future placement of on-lot systems.
In areas that use on-lot sewage disposal and water supply, some land owners may have eased the land set aside for an on-lot disposal system replacement area to a utility provider. In the event that their primary system was to fail, the homeowner might not have access to the replacement area, because of the easement to the utility provider. Furthermore, future construction by a utility provider in lands adjacent to existing on-lot disposal systems and water supplies, could negatively impact the function of those systems through soil compaction, disturbance of the drain field, or encroachment into the isolation area.
There are growing landowner concerns over the Mid-Atlantic Energy Corridor designation by the US Department of Energy.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue permits for new transmission facilities within a National Corridor. The FERC may only become involved in consideration if a State has not approved a proposed project. The Department of Energy has designated these corridors, including the Mid-Atlantic Energy Corridor, in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Some Chester County land owners are concerned that their properties may be used for transmission corridor projects, due to the large amounts of undeveloped land that exists.
Due to issues of national security and privacy, gaining information on service areas, franchise areas, and mapping of utilities has become difficult, and as a result is affecting review processes.
In response to the attacks of September 11th, gaining access to information regarding franchise and service areas for transmission lines and corridors from utility providers has become increasingly difficult. For planning purposes, this information is integral to the review of planning projects, such as Public Utility Commission reviews as they relate to water and wastewater franchise area expansions, as well as energy and communication provisions. The availability of this information would enable the County to call attention to overlapping projects, and help project applications move through the review process more efficiently.
Traditional carbon energy sources are finite, costly, and may pose risks to the environment.
There is a growing popularity and there are environmental benefits of alternative energy sources, such as wind, solar, and landfill resource recovery energies. The County needs to support these advances in renewable energy resources, as outlined in Landscapes Policy 6.3.1, “Support the use of renewable energy resources.”
Overlapping Programming | Wastewater Facilities | Drinking Water Supply |
Solid and Hazardous Waste | Electric, Power & Pipelines | Communications | Stormwater Facilities
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