Pipeline Fight: Standoff and Court Date

After a local resident began a standoff Thursday morning with construction crews trying to clear trees along the route of the Algonquin Pipeline, friends joined her in Cortlandt, according to a press notice.

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

SEE:

• Homeowner v. Pipeline Construction: Standoff Stops Work
• FERC Says Environmental Impacts of Pipeline Expansion Minimal
• Spectra Files Next Stage of Algonquin Pipeline Expansion

Today’s action took place as protesters who blocked pipeline workers’ access to a construction site were in Cortlandt Town Court on the trespassing charges.

Several entered not guilty pleas, including Linda Snider from Hastings-on-Hudson, who said in a prepared statement, “I am pleading not guilty because I believe that the Spectra AIM Pipeline is a danger to myself, my family and 20 million people in this region.”

Here’s the latest statement from #ResistAIM:

Cortlandt, New York - A growing number of people are standing up to resist Spectra Energy’s AIM (Algonquin Incremental Market) pipeline which will pass only 105ft from critical infrastructure at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. Just a day after local resident Nancy Vann stopped work on the pipeline for a entire day by standing beneath a tree on her property within 300 feet of the clearcutting site, another protestor has climbed that same tree today to prevent work. As of this writing, workers are proceeding with clearcutting in direct violation of their safety regulations. This comes on the same day that the Cortlandt County Court arraigned nine defendants who were arrested for blocking access to Spectra Energy’s wareyard in Montrose last week. Many defendants pleaded not guilty, as their actions were necessary to protect the health and safety of the surrounding community as well as the 20 million people who live in proximity to Indian Point. As Linda Snider from Hastings put it: “I am pleading not guilty because I believe that the Spectra AIM Pipeline is a danger to myself, my family and 20 million people in this region.” Susan Rutman agreed: “I am pleading not guilty because I am standing up for the health and well-being of my family, neighbors and 20 million people in the surrounding area. This project would endanger us for generations to come.”

People are increasingly alarmed because of the threat to safety and public health that the pipeline represents. Spectra Energy’s Alqonquin Incremental Market (AIM) project would involve building a high-pressure 42-inch diameter pipeline 105 feet from Indian Point facilities 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 in the case of Reynolds Hills, Spectra Energy has used eminent domain to seize property for construction against 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 have 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.

This is only the beginning. For more information, go to www.resistaim.wordpress.com