Is Algonquin Expansion Part of System Upgrade: FERC Asks Spectra

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission cited Cortlandt town’s consultant in a series of questions it sent on Jan. 16 to Spectra Energy, the company that is seeking approval of its Algonquin Incremental Market project to expand a compressed-gas pipeline that runs through Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties.

Accufacts continues to claim that Algonquin has this expansion project as part of an overall system upgrade. Accufacts believes that the individual subprojects should have been submitted as a greater overall application and that Algonquin is trying to avoid environmental requirements associated with that system upgrade. Discuss how Algonquin’s design philosophy has incorporated its design to meet the requirements of the Project and if these facilities are part of an overall system upgrade.

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Cortlandt town officials argue that FERC should consider the impacts not only of the Algonquin Project but also of the Atlantic Bridge and Access Northeast projects, which are on Spectra’s drawing board.

Spectra has already made presentations in Buchanan and Somers on the Atlantic Bridge project, which would construct new, bigger pipeline and new facilities for monitoring, cleaning and venting the same pipeline in different spots throughout the same region.

In a previous filing with FERC, Spectra argued that the law about unfair segmentation only applies to proposals, the company says, “the Atlantic Bridge and Access Northeast projects are still in their development phases and neither is a ’proposal’ subject to NEPA review. As a result, the Atlantic Bridge project and Access Northeast project need not be considered as ’cumulative actions’ in the Project EIS.”

Related:

• Spectra Responds to Comments on the Algonquin Pipeline Proposal
• State Sets Hearings for Algonquin Pipeline Stations
• Westchester BOL Committee Receives Independent Report on Environmental Impact of Proposed Gas Pipeline Expansion in County Park