DEC Issues Water Permits for 1st Algonquin Pipeline Expansion Project

Spectra’s Algonquin Incremental Market project moved another step closer to startup today as the New York state Department of Conservation issued permits and water quality certification.

AIM would expand a few sections of Spectra’s pipeline from Pennsylvania to Canada through Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties. The AIM project is, as its name implies, the first of three expansion projects on that pipeline that Spectra has discussed with local residents and officials.

Opponents of the pipeline expansion project had objected when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave the project a green light before the DEC had ruled on the water permits.

SEE: Puglisi Asks DEC to Say No to the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion

Here’s the full statement from the DEC:

After conducting a thorough review of the application, supporting materials and public comments on the Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) Project, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued a Water Quality Certification, and a Freshwater Wetlands and a Stream Disturbance permits to reconstruct portions of the federally regulated Algonquin Pipeline that traverse through Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties.

Construction of the project is subject to the conditions in the Water Quality Certification and permits.

The proposed AIM Project includes the expansion of existing pipeline systems in New York and three other states, including replacement of approximately 15.7 miles of pipeline in Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties, and installation of two new compressor units at the Algonquin’s existing Stony Point Compression station in Rockland County and another at the Southeast Compressor Station in Putnam County.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has primary jurisdiction for the environmental review of interstate pipelines. FERC issued its approval in March 2015.

DEC maintains the authority to review applications for specific permits and approvals. These include Air Title V permits for the proposed compressor station upgrades, as well as a Water Quality Certification, Stream Disturbance and Freshwater Wetlands permits for portions of the pipeline upgrades. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing the revised proposed Title V permits for the existing southeast and Stony Point compressor stations.

The federal FERC process includes an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and precludes states from conducting a separate state-level environmental review. The permit conditions will protect New York’s natural resources during construction of the project.

Additional information on this project can be found on the DEC website/webpage titled: Permit Documentation for Notable Projects at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6061.html.

RELATED:

• FERC Says Environmental Impacts of Pipeline Expansion Minimal
• Peaceful Resistance Training Offered to Opponents of Pipeline Expansion
• Spectra Files Next Stage of Algonquin Pipeline Expansion
• Letter to the Editor: FERC is a ‘Rubber Stamp Machine’