County Commission Nixes Wright Gas Project, Pending Study

 

The Schoharie County Planning Commission, which met this past Monday, voted unanimously to both call the Town of Wright Planning Board's referral (in regards to Iroquois' proposed Interconnect Project that would receive and distribute Natural Gas as a cornerstone of the Constitution Pipeline) "incomplete because of the incongruity of the environmental review," and to send the matter back to them with a suggestion that they resubmit after such review has been completed.

 

Iroquois' is seeking approval to expand the already existing Wright Compressor Station as part of the framework for the proposed Constitution Pipeline, but has yet to provide either the Town or County planning boards with a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission environmental impact statement that is required to move forward.

 

Peter Shulman, who serves as Chairman of both the Commission and the Town of Fulton Planning Board, said that he "believes the Schoharie County Planning Commission acted correctly" in their 10-0 decision on Monday evening.

 

There is considerable local opposition to both the proposed Constitution Pipeline and the Iroquois' Wright Interconnect Project, some of which was apparent at a public community meeting in the Town of Richmondville - also last Monday - where the Center for Sustainable Rural Communities presented information questioning the necessity of either project in Schoharie County.

 

However, because of the Wright Compressor Station's existence, any and all expansion of that project is reliant upon the aforementioned Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's "exclusive jurisdiction" over the process, something that concerns local activists. Worries that stem from the fact only half of county residents offered easements by Constitution Pipeline have accepted, an indication of serious and strong opposition to its construction.

Schoharie County Planning Commission to Review Wright Interconnect Project, Vital Part of Constitution Pipeline

The Schoharie County Planning Commission, which is headed by Peter Shulman of Fulton, will be reviewing a referral submitted by the Town of Wright Planning Board tonight at seven in regards to the Iroquois' Wright Interconnect Project, which would expand the existing Wright Compressor Station to enable the delivery of gas via the proposed Constitution Pipeline.

 

In documents submitted in early August to the Town of Wright Planning Board, Iroquois' detailed its sketch plan of constructing a "new compression facility with gas cooling as well as modifications to certain existing facilities," with plans to commence construction by mid-Summer 2014 to meet their proposed in-service date of March 31, 2015.

 

They also included in their plan that "This Project is being developed in conjunction with the proposed Constitution Pipeline to enable delivery of up to 650,000 Dth/d of natural gas from the terminus of the Constitution Pipeline in Schoharie County, NY into both Iroquois' and the Tennessee Gas Pipeline under a 15-year capacity lease agreement with Constitution."

 

However, local review of the sketch plan seems almost foolhardy considering the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has "exclusive jurisdiction" over Iroquois' existing pipelines and the Wright Interconnect Project, leaving both the County and Town planning boards with little to no room to represent their local constituents.

 

If approved, the Constitution Pipeline would transport a natural gas equivalent of 4.5 million gallons of oil from the Marcellus Shale deposits in Pennsylvania to the Wright Interconnect Project which would then direct the fuel across New York State byway of both the Iroquois' and Tennessee pipelines.

 

There have been worries expressed across Schoharie County, some of which will be addressed in a community meeting at Richmondville's Radez School that is also scheduled for seven this evening, over the Constitution Pipeline's proposed path through the Northern portion of the county and the potential environmental risks associated with such a project.

 

Although it is still unknown whether the Constitution Pipeline will receive final approval, the County Planning Commission will have the opportunity to express their opinion on the construction of an integral piece of the pipeline puzzle, albeit with the knowledge that their decision could be rendered null and void by the federal government at any moment.

 

Community Pipeline Meeting on Monday December 2, 2013 at 7PM inside of the Radez Elementary School Gym located on 319 Main Street, Richmondville, NY. The latest information on the proposed Constitution Pipeline from threats of eminent domain and legal efforts to landowner resistance and the pipeline company's safety record will be provided to the public. This advertisement is sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Rural Communities and the Stop the Pipeline Schoharie Action Committee