Letter to the Editor: FERC is a 'Rubber Stamp Machine'

To the Editor:

I was one of many voices last night that disrupted a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) public “scoping session” with a singalong at the Yorktown Community and Cultural Center Sung to the tune of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. We sang loudly and passionately about FERC being “a rubber stamp machine.”

The scoping session in Yorktown was for the Atlantic Bridge project, the second of three proposals by Spectra Energy to transport massive quantities of fracked gas through New York, into New England and then on to Canada and beyond.

FERC’s mission is to “regulate the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil and electricity,” but their funding comes from the fees they receive from the fossil fuel industry. This situation enables the gas industry to pick and choose where they want to place gas infrastructure: pipelines, compressor stations and offshore Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) facilities. Most citizens do not realize that this unaccountable rogue agency is making hugely important decisions that impact our health, safety and future generations.

Peaceful protests across the country have increased significantly as citizens discover that public hearings do nothing to stop the invasion of gas infrastructure through their communities. Along the way, they have come to the uncomfortable conclusion that FERC is clearly more interested in the needs and profits of industry than in the needs of the American people.

This corrupt commission must be overhauled. FERC should be guided by the health of communities and the ecosystem rather than the profits of energy companies. A thorough review of the climate effects of proposed projects and the clean energy alternatives. FERC’s priority must be the advancement of wind, solar and energy efficiency.

When all the legal routes are rejected, nonviolent direct action becomes the last option for people to defend their rights. With each passing month of these unjust undemocratic processes, more and more people are using their voices to express their deep concern for their communities and for their health, safety and their children’s future. FERC’s session last night was an affront to citizens of the region who feel that the federal government is allowing corporate profit to prevail over public risk.

Susan Rubin

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