Pipeline Expansion Could Hurt Peekskill Residents: Mayor

PEEKSKILL, NY - As New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered a safety analysis of the Algonquin natural-gas pipeline expansion project past the Indian Point nuclear plant, Peekskill Mayor Frank Catalina issued a statement Thursday applauding the governor's move and expressing concern specifically about the affects of the expansion on Peekskill residents.

Pointing out that Peekskill has the highest rate of asthma-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations of the surrounding area, Catalina said, "This pipeline will increase emissions from compressor stations along its route that spew methane, benzene, and other toxic chemicals...Peekskill residents don’t need to breathe more air pollution; we need less."

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Construction has started on the first phase of the expansion, based at staging areas in Cortlandt. It has been almost a year since the AIM project was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FERC and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected arguments from experts and opponents that the pipeline would cause a threat to the plant.

State agencies are currently conducting an investigation into several recent failures at Indian Point.

Here is Catalina's complete statement:

As the Mayor of the City of Peekskill, my number one goal is to protect the wellbeing of Peekskill residents and I fear that the Algonquin Incremental Market Project (AIM) pipeline threatens the health, safety, and prosperity of our wonderful City. AIM is one part of a massive, interstate pipeline owned by Spectra Energy that will replace a 26 inch diameter pipeline with a 42 inch high-pressure pipeline to carry fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New England.

There are plenty of problems with this, beginning with national security. Natural gas pipelines can be hacked or be physically targeted by terrorists. A pipe rupture can cause a major blowout and complete loss of power. The pipeline is 105 feet away from critical infrastructure for the Indian Point Nuclear Plant and intersects with two proposed high voltage power lines. An explosion of the pipeline could cause a major meltdown, exposing Peekskill residents and everyone in the plant’s evacuation zone (including all of New York City) to potentially catastrophic amounts of radiation.

If all of this sounds unlikely, consider the fact that one of the safety inspectors for the pipeline blew the whistle on dangerous shortcuts Spectra was taking during construction. He said he saw “at least two dozen” serious safety violations, including the use of pipe parts that were no property vetted by inspectors. These are very serious allegations that should be fully investigated before construction continues.

With the construction of the pipeline, the residents of Peekskill and the surrounding area will suffer greatly from increased air pollution and toxins. Westchester County already has an “F” from the American Lung Association and Peekskill has the highest rate of asthma-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations of the surrounding area. We also suffer from increased rates of respiratory disease and lung cancer. This pipeline will increase emissions from compressor stations along its route that spew methane, benzene, and other toxic chemicals, all which can increase asthma, lung damage, and other cardiovascular disease.

Peekskill residents don’t need to breathe more air pollution; we need less.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s decision to approve AIM is outrageous and unfortunate. FERC does not see the environmental concerns related to the pipeline as “reasonably foreseeable consequences” of their approval of the project. Yet, we have no independent studies telling us otherwise.

Our demands for an independent risk analysis to assess the threat of gas pipeline rupture or review of the above concerns, have been repeatedly ignored.

Residents of Peekskill and the surrounding towns have been protesting the pipeline since the beginning and requesting independent safety and health analysis. New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Reps. Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel, and Robert F. Kenney, Jr., have all asked that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission require an independent safety review. New York State Assembly people David Buchwald and Sandy Galef have raised the same concerns without response.

Elected officials don’t want it, residents don’t want it, the northeast doesn’t need it, and the federal government continues to ignore the threats to and the will of the people. Thus, I was encouraged to hear that Governor Cuomo asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to suspend approval of the project (halting construction) until an independent analysis is conducted. “Although the project applicant has agreed to more stringent construction measures near Indian Point, ongoing state investigations will assess the adequacy of these measures and may also reveal new information about the environmental, health and safety risks posed by the project’s siting,” stated Cuomo’s office. “The state therefore urges the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to cease the construction of the Algonquin natural gas pipeline until the state’s analysis is complete and it can be determined that the project will not impact the health and safety of surrounding communities."

Thank you Governor Cuomo. I urge all elected officials on the local, county, state and federal levels to join the Governor in this urgent call.

Frank Catalina

Mayor of Peekskill