Homeowner v. Pipeline Construction: Standoff Stops Work

A Peekskill resident had a standoff Thursday morning with construction crews trying to clear trees along the route of the Algonquin Pipeline, according to Resist AIM.

Nancy Vann opposes the expansion of the pipeline, which runs from New Jersey to New England.

RELATED:

• Spectra Files Next Stage of Algonquin Pipeline Expansion
• Arrests as Protesters Block Pipeline Staging Area in Montrose
• Pipeline Foes Stage Die-In to Protest Public Health Dangers
• FERC Says Environmental Impacts of Pipeline Expansion Minimal

Members of Resist AIM said she was standing on her own property. They released this statement:

Local resident Nancy Vann stopped clearcutting through the Reynolds Hills area today by standing within 300 feet of where construction crews were scheduled to begin clearing trees to make way for the AIM pipeline, a high-pressure 42 inch-diameter gas pipeline being built without the permission of the community. She was joined by Peekskill Councilmember Kathleen Talbot, who stood nearby to show support. By standing within 300 feet of the clearcutting site, worker crews cannot proceed without violating their own safety guidelines.

Vann says that she is taking a stand for the safety of the whole region. “They claim to be concerned about my safety - but what about the safety of the 20 million people at risk from a pipeline accident at Indian Point? Or the thousands at risk from asthma and other health problems in this environmental justice community?”

Spectra Energy’s Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) project would involve building a high-pressure 42-inch diameter pipeline within 100 feet of critical structures of Indian Point and would expose local communities to toxic emissions from compressor stations along the pipeline path. The pipeline is being built against the wishes of the community and local elected officials, and in the case of Reynolds Hills. Spectra Energy has used eminent domain to seize property for construction contrary to the will of landowners and homeowners. This has outraged residents and environmental and public safety advocates who point to Spectra’s abysmal safety record as proof that the company cannot be trusted to construct a pipeline safely. A coalition called Resist AIM has formed to stop the project from moving forward.

Years of trying to stop the project through standard regulatory channels has shown that the regulatory agencies involved - the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - are unwilling to consider the full impacts of this project. On twitter, Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker has claimed that “federal agencies have failed to protect WC residents,” while State Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Brad Hoylman have both called upon FERC to halt its plans to move forward with the pipeline.

PHOTO/contributed