This is just one of the 1,380 horsepower compressors that would be used at the two locations. There will be 18 of them with a combined 24,840 horsepower. Also, the Miller’s Compressor Station will have 5,600 horsepower of electrical generation capacity, half of which is listed as backup, and the Pleasants Compressor Station will have 724 horsepower of electrical generation capacity, with 322 horsepower listed as backup.

A public meeting will be held by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Thursday to provide information regarding two Appalachia Midstream Services, LLC, air quality permit applications for Marshall County. Appalachia Midstream Services has proposed to construct the Pleasants Compressor Station in Howard (R13-2829) and the Miller Compressor Station in Bannen (R13-2831).

The public meeting will be held at the Silver Hill Volunteer Fire Department, Route 89, from 6-8 p.m. Representatives from the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) will conduct the meeting regarding the two construction applications submitted by Appalachia Midstream Services on Feb. 8 and March 3, respectively. The DEP’s Division of Air Quality representatives will be at the meeting to hear comments and take questions, and also receive written questions or comments. Topics such as roads and traffic will not be addressed.

Appalachia Midstream Services has proposed to construct the Pleasants Compressor Station with 12 natural gas compressor engines, one diesel fired auxiliary generators, one natural gas fired emergency generator, three triethylene glycol (TEG) dehydration units, three 400-bbl pipeline fluids storage tanks, and miscellaneous associated equipment in Howard, Marshall County. This station is located (from Silver Hill), up Macedonia Ridge to the Marshall County line where that road becomes Pleasants Ridge, then left onto Robinson Ridge.

Also, Appalachia Midstream Services has similarly proposed to construct the Miller Compressor Station with six natural gas compressor engines, three primary generators, three backup generators, two triethylene glycol (TEG) dehydration units, 10 400-bbl pipeline fluids storage tanks, two pipeline fluids/water storage tanks, a liquids stabilizer including one hot oil heater, one flare, and miscellaneous associated equipment in Bannen, Marshall County. This station will be three miles away at the north end of Johnson Ridge road which is a mile or two east of Silver Hill, right at the county line.

The following is a description of the process involved in the proposed Miller’s Compressor Station as stated in the permit application. The Pleasants Compressor Station process would be very similar if approved.

The natural gas inlet stream from surrounding area wells enters the facility through an inlet suction separator prior to the gas being compressed. After the inlet gas passes through a compressor, it goes through the dehydration process before exiting the facility. Dehydration units are used to remove water from the gas. In the dehydration process, gas passes through a contactor vessel where water is absorbed by the glycol. The “rich” glycol containing water goes to the glycol reboiler where heat is used to boil off the water. The heat is supplied by a natural gas-fired reboiler that exhausts to the atmosphere.

Overhead still column emissions will be controlled by an air-cooled condenser. The non-condensables from the still column emissions overheads will be routed to the reboiler and burned as fuel with 95 percent destruction efficiency. Under normal operating circumstances, flash tank overhead vapors will be routed to the reboiler to be burned as fuel. Any excess flash gas vapors not burned as fuel will be routed to the stabilizer feed drum. During upset conditions, excess flash gas may be routed to the flare and combusted. Upset conditions include loss of both permanent and backup power or compressor malfunction of the primary and secondary flash gas compressors.

Collected liquids are stabilized to remove volatile components before being stored in tanks and transported off-site by truck. Overhead vapors generated in the stabilizer are compressed by an electric-driven flash gas compressor and recycled to the inlet gas stream. The hot oil heater provides hot oil to the stabilizer. Condensate dropout from liquids dumps, produced water, and other pipeline fluids are stored in storage tanks and transported off-site via truck. A Joule-Thompson (JT) system with a capacity of less than 10 mmscfd will be used to lower the heat content of the fuel gas.

The generators provide electric power to the flash gas compressor, glycol pumps, hot oil pumps, and other electrical equipment. The flare is used to combust gas during upsets and may also be used to combust flash tank off-gas and condensate stabilizer overhead gas as needed during flash gas compressor shutdown or maintenance. Emissions from fugitive components also occur.

The Engineering Evaluations and Draft Permits can be downloaded at: http://www.dep.wv.gov/daq/Pages/NSR2010PermitsforReview.aspx. Copies of the applications, engineering evaluations and draft permits prepared by the DAQ are also available for public inspection during normal business hours at the following locations:

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Air Quality, 601 57th Street, SE, Charleston, WV 25304; telephone 304-926-0499, ext. 1227.

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Air Quality, Northern Panhandle Regional Office, 131A Peninsula Street, Wheeling, WV 26003; telephone 304-238-1220.

Comments on the proposed applications will be accepted until the close of the public meeting on July 1. All written comments should be addressed to Jerry Williams, WVDEP – DAQ, 601 57th Street, SE, Charleston, WV 25304. Please include the applicant’s name and permit application number- Appalachia Midstream Services, LLC, Permit Application R13-2829 (Pleasants) and R13-2831 (Miller)-along with your name, return address, and daytime telephone number. Please also indicate any organization on behalf of which your comments are submitted.