TUNKHANNOCK, Pa. – Williams has confirmed with Dallas Township that it will postpone the May 16, 2011, hearing before the Dallas Township Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) for 45 days.

The additional time will allow further dialogue between Williams, the township and other parties which could result in design alternatives for the proposed meter station on the 33-mile Springville gathering pipeline.

The decision was made following the Dallas Township Planning Commission meeting on May 9, at which Williams requested land development and subdivision plan approval for the Springville Pipeline within Dallas Township.

Construction of a meter station in Dallas Township  requires zoning approval which only can be granted by the ZHB.   While meter stations require local zoning approval, the actual pipelines are not subject to local zoning regulations.

Pipelines are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which sets construction standards that ensure the safety of the pipeline.

“Our Transco interstate gas pipeline has safely operated in Dallas Township since 1958,” said Ryan Savage, general manager.

“It is a point of pride for us that we’ve quietly been operating in this community for so long and we look forward to working with the community on our new project, too.”

The Springville pipeline, when complete, will transport natural gas produced from the Marcellus Shale in Susquehanna County to the Transco interstate gas pipeline system.

The natural gas being transported through those pipelines will ultimately warm homes and power businesses in Pennsylvania and throughout the Northeast.

Dallas Township  receives 100 percent of its natural gas from Transco through the local utility, UGI, which delivers the gas to Dallas Township homes, businesses and community facilities, including schools.

Williams has made significant investments in northeast Pennsylvania in the past 18 months and continues to build its presence in the area.

In addition to the Springville project, we recently assumed the operational activities for a gathering business we acquired at the end of 2010, which includes 75 miles of gathering pipelines and two compressor stations.

Expansions of that system are under way. Capacity is expected to be increased to approximately 500-550 million cubic feet per day by mid-2011.

The company expects the system will ultimately provide 1.2 billion cubic feet per day of gathering capacity.

Williams also has acreage under lease for development of natural gas wells in Susquehanna County.