Letter to the Editor: Yorktown, Westchester Wrong to Make Pipeline Agreements

To the Editor:

On Friday a lawsuit was filed against the Town of Yorktown charging them with violating New York State Law by issuing Spectra Energy a revokable license for the use of parklands. The quote below, from attorney Phil Simpson, explains the importance of this lawsuit.

Public parklands belong to taxpayers. Our elected officials are responsible for safe-guarding them from corporate use. Environmental laws were put in place to protect our public lands and the interests of the citizens whose tax dollars maintain them.

Shame on Yorktown for violating the letter and the spirit of the law and giving Spectra permission to permanently destroy many acres of parkland to leave behind gas pipeline infrastructure that will pollute Sylvan Glen/Granite Knolls and endanger the health and safety of citizens.

Also, shame on Westchester County for playing the same trick on County residents with Blue Mountain Reservation. Perhaps this lawsuit will be a wake up call to our County Executive.

“This lawsuit was filed to protect the integrity of Yorktown’s public parklands and to protect the health and well-being of park users and residents, including my client, whose property is directly across the Street from Granite Knolls West Park. The lawsuit argues that what Spectra Energy and Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace plan to do may only be done through an open process in the New York State legislature that is known as ‘alienation,’ and this process which protects land in the public trust, must be subjected to the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). Spectra and Grace have signed an agreement that would let Spectra — as part of Spectra’s massive expansion of the Algonquin natural gas pipeline — make a permanent industrial installation on Town parkland where families and children play, hike, and relax. In addition to whatever damage is done to the existing easement, the agreement allows Spectra to devastate seven and a half acres of parkland by permitting logging, the construction of a permanent road into the park without SEQRA review, and will expose park users and residents to cancer-causing and other toxic substances through the air and ground by the installation of industrial infrastructure and equipment. The impact of the pipeline, road construction, and toxic infrastructure on the park will be permanent. The results will be long term both to personal heath and the Town’s cherished park. Yorktown and Spectra are not proposing a hot-dog stand or an insignificant miniature golf concession. Yet in order to avoid open public scrutiny and compliance with New York’s public trust doctrine and environmental review laws, Supervisor Grace and Spectra have attempted to dress their agreement up as being merely a short-term ‘license’. We trust the Courts will agree that there is no end-run around these safeguards of public parks and public health.”

Courtney Williams, Peekskill Resident