Several key projects are hitting all at once: The Constitution Pipeline, the Liberty LNG Port, and the Minisink compressor station all face mid-month
Several key projects are hitting all at once: The Constitution Pipeline, the Liberty LNG Port, and the Minisink compressor station all face mid-month deadlines. These are but three of the 24 gas infrastructure projects currently planned for New York State. Even if they were the only ones, their effect on our state would be devastating. The LNG port alone could change the landscape for New York and the tristate area by opening up the potential for a local export facility.
Is it coincidental that these deadlines are hitting around a peak holiday/vacation moment? After witnessing the timing of major Spectra pipeline filings on the Fridays before Labor Day and Christmas, we think not. Inconvenient though it may be, we can think of no more patriotic a way to mark the July 4th holiday than by taking action against these projects. Are we willing to allow The United States to become a mineral extraction colony? Are we willing to be rolled over by federal agencies fast tracking projects that benefit only fossil fuel corporations?
This is an ALL HANDS ON DECK call. If you're receiving this email, or it's been forwarded to you, you are needed. A massive response is called for. The flags and fireworks mean nothing if our democracy is lost. Please participate in these actions:
Liberty LNG Port: Attend the Public Hearings, July 9th & 10th; Deadline for Public Comment, July 23rd
This project is being fast tracked for approval and CAN be stopped by gubernatorial veto.
The "Port Ambrose" deepwater liquified natural gas facility will allow LNG tanker ships to float up and connect to a submerged pipeline off Jones Beach, the Rockaways and Sandy Hook. These areas are not even fully recovered from last year's superstorm Sandy. With the same area also being considered for an offshore wind farm, the choice for New York's energy future could not be more stark.
Hearings: Tuesday July 9th, in Long Beach, NY, readily reachable by public transportation, and Wednesday, July 10th in Edison, NJ. Public comments will be heard from 6-8pm, arrive early to sign in. An open house precedes the hearing from 4:30-6pm. More info about the project can be found here. Details on the hearings, trains schedules, other vital info, can be found here.
The Constitution Pipeline: Local Meeting, July 6th; Deadline to Intervene, July 15th
Want to stop fracking? Stop this pipe. The Constitution line would bisect upstate, running 121 miles from Susquehanna County, PA to Schoharie County, NY. It would connect with existing Millennium and Iroquois lines to deliver Marcellus gas to Canada, New England, NYC and Long Island. This is a crucial piece of infrastructure the drillers need in place before they can frack our state.
Attend the meetingon Saturday, July 6th to plan community resistance and learn how to intervene. Ready to intervene now? Written instructions can be found here. To inspire your own intervention comments, here are 5 fast reasons why this pipe must be stopped:
1) It begets drilling. The EPA's new rule, known ironically as "green completion," requires that connection to a pipeline be in place before drilling can occur. Drill sites along this pipe will be the first ones targeted for development, and will spawn a network of gathering lines.
2) It industrializes rural areas. The pipe would start with two compressor stations, but eventually, stations will be needed every 40 miles. Air quality will go from "clean country air" to smog-filled ozone alert days such as Wyoming is experiencing. "Cracker" plants will feed off the pipe and beget plastics factories and subsequent additional toxic waste. As with Minisink, new gas power plants feeding off the line can be expected as well. None of these inevitable impacts are considered by FERC.
3) It devastates habitats. The route would travel through pristine forests and wildlife areas; cross numerous bodies of water; and create erosion risks by clear cutting steep slopes.
4) It enables eminent domain. If builders get FERC approval for the project, land will be taken against the will of landowners.
5) It hastens climate change. LIke all pipelines, this one can be expected to lose 9-12% of its volume in transit. With the planet already past 400ppm, we cannot afford to release any more methane, a greenhouse gas up to 105 times more powerful than CO2.
Minisink Compressor Station: Demonstrate at Senator Gillabrand's Office: 4pm, July 9th
If anyone you know mistakenly believes New York is not yet affected by fracking, point them to the town of Minisink. The now two-year-old crisis in Minisink demonstrates the unrestrained excesses of the gas industry as it sacrifices more and more American communities. In this case, the community includes hundreds of young families, organic farmers, and 9/11 first responders. Now, despite a pending Federal court case, the compressor station is completed and is spewing carcinogens and neurotoxins into this once pristine neighborhood.
Minisink has repeatedly attempted to elicit the help of their elected officials to no avail. The inaction of Senator Gillibrand, who often identifies herself as a mother and 9/11 First Responder advocate, is particularly disappointing. The Senator has ignored numerous requests to come to Minisink and meet with the community, so now, the community and its allies will come to her.
Rally in front of Gillibrand's NYC office, 780 Third Ave. (48th / 49th St.) Tuesday, July 9th at 4pm. Join friends from upstate and down to present the Senator with a letter outlining specific ways she can step up. Then hop the 5pm or 5:20 LIRR train to Long Beach for the LNG hearing.
Why We Still Love America.
Despite everything that's going on, between the NSA debacle, the gutting of voting rights, and the intention of TPP to remove our sovereignty, we still believe in the ability of the American public to move this country forward to a true democracy. Now that gay citizens have been provided the key towards marriage equality, the corporate invasion of our environment and the related absence of democratic process are THE civil rights issues of our times. The one upside of the attacks on these rights may be the wake up call it imposes. The community of activists continues to grow, become better organized, more creative. Along with the above projects, Sane Energy Project is still fighting the Spectra pipeline and supporting opposition to the Rockaway and XL pipelines. To help us win these battles, please become a member today. Thanks as always for your support, and Happy 4th of July.
