Dozens gathered in Upper Bucks County Tuesday afternoon to once again voice concerns over the proposed PennEast Pipeline.
The gas company is looking to install a 36-inch underground natural gas line, stretching from Luzerne County, Pa to Trenton, New Jersey.
Currently, the 108 mile-plan cuts into parts of Bucks, Northampton, and Carbon counties.
PennEast said it's in the early stages of the project, and still working with various stakeholders to develop a plan with the least amount of environmental impacts.
Residents in the proposed areas have been doing their homework too.
They've hosted forums on the matter, reached out to lawmakers, and even tried to develop ordinances to prohibit the pipeline.
Last month, the Delaware River Basin Commission announced it would step in and execute jurisdiction on the matter, after receiving hundreds of letters from concerned citizens.
"We sent the company a letter dated Novemeber 14th, to notify them they would be subject to DRBC review to ensure they are meeting requirements in our compact," said DRBC Spokesperson Clarke Rupert.
A representative with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network said about 80% of the proposed line falls within property overseen by the DRBC.
According to Rupert, the company has 90 days from that date the notice was sent to submit an application.
So far, the commission has not received that paperwork, Rupert explained.
Once the documentation is submitted, Rubert said the commission will likely spend months reviewing the material before having another public hearing and then a vote.
Tuesday's public hearing was to given residents a chance to express their concerns before the paperwork is submitted.
"It's' very dangerous, also a big disturbance to the watershed, lots of possibilities for explosions and so forth," said Elizabeth Nelson, a Hunterdon County, New Jersey resident who lives near the proposed route.
According to PennEast, the DRBC is one of 20 cooperating agencies participating in its comprehensive review process.
"All of that input and early engagement helps to determine a final route that will minimize impact to the community and environment," said Patricia Kornick of PennEast Pipeline Company.
Kornick said that while there has been a large and vocal crowd opposed to the plans, it's not a unanimous opinion.
"There is an equally large contingent that is in favor of natural gas development and being able to provide, clean, affordable, and safe supplies of natural gas," Kornick said.
The Federal Energy Renewal Commission (FERC) will have the final say on the project.
PennEast claims the earliest construction on the pipeline could start, if approved, is early 2017.
The construction phase would take anywhere from seven to 12 months, officials said.
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