Electric generation plant gets prelim OK from planning commission

The Susquehanna County Planning Commission granted, at its July 25 meeting, conditional preliminary approval to Mineral Point for an electric generation facility to be built in Oakland Township.
The facility will be developed on a three-acre parcel of land conveyed to Mineral Point from Bowtie LLC. The property is situated on a private road in Oakland Twp.
Iron Mountain Generation Midstream will develop the site with an electric generation facility consisting of six enclosed engines each on a concrete pad, an electrical room, and a substation and a building to house mechanical tanks and other equipment. The surface of the pad area will be gravel.
An approved NPDES permit and general permits from the County Conservation District is required prior to the project receiving preliminary approval.
An air quality permit has been submitted to DEP for review, according to information provided by the project’s engineer to the planning commission, and a copy of the approved permit is required prior to the planning commission granting preliminary approval.
Preliminary approval of the project was granted to Mineral Point Energy conditioned on the receipt of a sewage waiver, municipality report forms, and copies of the approved required permits.
Xpress Natural Gas Forest Lake CNG Center received its finalized conditional approval from the Susquehanna County Planning Commission with its July 10 submission of a sound study showing compliance with the county’s ordinance.
As part of the county’s comprehensive plan update, Planning Director Robert Templeton was asked by plan consultant Carson Helfrich to gather data on commercial and industrial land developments since 2010.
In his report to Planning Commission members, Templeton said that from 2010-2016, 36 percent of land development plans reviewed by the board were natural gas related. In 2014 and 2015, 57 percent and 50 percent, respectively, of plans, reviewed were related to the natural gas industry.
Templeton and Helfrich met with the county commissioners and reviewed the general characteristics and survey results. After a few more sections are complete, another meeting with the commissioners will be held, reported the planning director.
The county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan is also in the process of being updated. There will be municipal meeting and steering committee meetings held throughout the fall and winter with adoption of the mitigation plan expected by late spring 2018.
The Dollar General store planned to be built in New Milford Borough has received its driveway permit from PennDOT; and the DEP approval and NPDES permit are expected to be submitted to the county shortly. Preliminary approval will be granted upon receipt of the permits.