clarity — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:29:01 +0000

HRPT Hearing, Thursday, May 31, 7pm:

VERY important meeting that could affect the Spectra Easement: The HRPT Hearing will discuss proposed changes to the Hudson River Park Act, including changes to time limits of easements and the potential addition of a stadium or residential development within the Park.
7pm, St. Paul’s Chapel, 209 Broadway, between Fulton St. and Vesey St. (stay tuned HRPT has a habit of changing their meeting locations last minute)
(all trains to Fulton stop). More info here.

clarity — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:52:54 +0000

FERC has approved the Spectra Pipeline 3 weeks ahead of the earliest anticipated date, apparently reacting to requests for expedited approval from Con Ed, PSC and the Mayor’s Office. Stay tuned for next steps, we’ll update you shortly. Excerpts from the 68-page document, for your reading displeasure:

May 21, 2012,
Certificates of public convenience and necessity are issued to Texas Eastern and to Algonquin, authorizing the construction and operation of the NJ-NY Project facilities.

Texas Eastern estimates the cost of its portion of the NJ-NY Project to be $789,493,884. Algonquin estimates that the cost of its portion of the project will be $67,524,524. Texas Eastern proposes to charge incremental recourse rates for firm and interruptible transportation service to recover the costs associated with the construction of the proposed facilities as well as the leased capacity.

in deciding whether to authorize major new natural gas transportation facilities, the Commission balances public benefits against potential adverse consequences.

Opponents question the need for the project. They contend that the project is being put forth to create future demand for gas rather than to fulfill existing demand . . . or that any increase in demand can and should be met by relying on renewable sources of energy and by efforts to conserve energy. . . we conclude that these cannot serve as practical alternatives to the project.

It was also suggested that if any of the gas transported by the proposed project is ultimately exported from the country, this would argue against the project . . . We note, however, that there is no indication in the record that any of the customers that have subscribed to capacity on the project contemplate using that capacity to export natural gas.

We note that . . . The 2010 PlaNYC progress report identifies the proposed NJ-NY Project as a key component of the effort to “supply cleaner burning natural gas” for the city. Natural gas is expected to serve as a partial substitute for heavy heating oil, which New York City is phasing out by prohibiting the installation of new boilers that use heavy heating oil . . . ConEd further states that timely authorization of proposed project is essential if it is to accommodate all the requests it is receiving for new firm gas service during the 2013/2014 winter season.

We find that activities related to gas production from shale formations are not causally related to the NJ-NY Project . . . The development of the Marcellus and other shale reserves is expected to proceed over decades, and will do so with or without the proposed project. The scope, scale, and speed of shale gas development cannot be accurately estimated, i.e., it is not “reasonably foreseeable.” Consequently, the past, present, and future effects of shale gas development are outside the scope of our NEPA cumulative impacts assessment. [FERC quotes the tar sands permit decision as precedent.]

Texaco Downstream Properties Inc. and Chevron Land and Development Company (collectively, Chevron) jointly request that the Commission convene a technical conference on potential environmental impacts of a portion of the proposed route that crosses the petitioners’ 44-acre property in Bayonne, New Jersey . . . we believe the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) adequately takes into account the potential for construction-related contamination and measures to ensure the integrity of a slurry wall proximate to the approved route.

Comments call attention to potential health risks of releasing radon when natural gas is burned indoors. . . we concur with the conclusion that the indoor exposure to radon from gas used in a residence should be limited. Radon initially entrained in extracted gas can be expected to be purged in part in the course of gas processing and to decay during transport from wellhead to burner tip . . . The Commission has no regulatory authority to set, monitor, or respond to indoor radon levels – local, state, and federal entities establish and enforce radon exposure standards for indoor air.

Numerous comments question the safety of the proposed NJ-NY Project. As described in final EIS section . . . the project’s facilities would be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained to meet the DOT Minimum Federal Safety Standards set forth in 49 C.F.R. Part 192 and in other applicable federal and state regulations.

The final EIS finds that the project would result in limited adverse environmental impacts if the project is constructed and operated in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. However, these impacts would mostly occur during construction and be reduced to less-than-significant levels with the implementation of the applicants’ proposed mitigation and our staff’s recommendations. Major issues raised during scoping and comments in response to the draft EIS are addressed in the final EIS.

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clarity — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:15:38 +0000

Bloomberg and PSC Trying to Rush Pipeline Approval

clarity — Sun, 06 May 2012 18:29:07 +0000

As you know, Spectra has been touting their intention to start construction in June at every opportunity. Last week, filings to FERC from the Office of the Mayor and the Public Service Commission urged commissioners to expedite a decision on the Spectra pipeline at their May session. Review had been scheduled for June at the earliest, to allow the standard 90 days for related agencies to file responses to the fEIS. Sane Energy’s response letter reminds the commissioners that nearly 5,000 citizens filed comment in opposition to the pipeline (as opposed to 22 which filed in favor), and requests a decision be delayed until those concerns are addressed.

The Mayor’s Office maintains that “seasonal construction period limitations” require the project to be rushed so that Spectra doesn’t miss a winter heating season. The City specifically mentions its desire to convert boilers to gas as justification for the expansion of natural gas use, claiming it would prevent the loss of 120 lives each year from particulate matter.

We are definitely on the side of saving lives, and our suggestions for reducing particulate matter and toxic emissions from boilers (biodiesel, solar thermal and efficiency) are far healthier than the mayor’s suggestion to switch to gas. It’s a very simple equation: The more buildings that switch to gas, the more fracking will happen, the larger the proportion of marcellus shale gas will enter our supply stream, and the the faster the radon levels in our gas will rise. Higher radon levels could affect, by the estimate of Dr. Marvin Resnikoff, 11.9 million lives, with lung cancer deaths potentially reaching 30,448––not to mention the health of all the people who live within a 200-mile radius of the gas fields.

Both the City and PSC regurgitate FERC’s notion that impacts from the pipeline will be “insignificant.” PSC says in its filing that the timing of the projects is “imperative.” and notes that “if the project does not receive its final review and decision at the May meeting, the schedule will have to change.”

What does this all mean? It means your efforts are working. It means Spectra is feeling the pressure of public resistance to this pipeline. Their contract with Con Ed requires it to be in service by November of 2013, and as citizens, we will do everything possible to make sure that won’t happen.

If you feel your lives and the welfare of this city are not “insignificant,” you might want to let the mayor and PSC know that. The best way to do so would be to file an e-comment on the FERC website. Use docket number CP11-56 when prompted. Registering your opposition with local officials and mayoral hopefuls is important to do right now. Contact info for representatives can be found here.

Why Not the Pipeline?

clarity — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:51:17 +0000

Top 10 reasons why the Spectra Pipeline is a terrible idea:

1) It’s a danger to local residents.
2) Spectra has a history of safety issues.
3) Pipeline regulation and oversight are sorely inadequate.
4) We don’t need more gas, demand is flat (see p27-28).
5) The gas is intended for export.
6) Projected supplies are limited. Shale gas is a bubble.
7) It increases the demand to frack.
8) Gas will worsen, not improve our air quality.
9) It could increase our risk from Radon.
10) It’s the wrong direction. Our future is renewable.

Need more info? Check out the links on the sidebar at right, or click here.
What can you do? Click on Action Alerts for what’s needed right now.

Community Board up in arms over DOT permit for Spectra

clarity — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:19:11 +0000

Wednesday night’s CB2 meeting in the West Village drew a lively discussion of the Spectra pipeline and the proposed DOT permit which would allow Spectra to bring their pipe out of the Hudson River and up onto the Gansevoort Peninsula. Residents and board members were appalled at the way FERC has ignored resident’s concerns, going so far as to label impacts from the project “minimal” in their final EIS (Environmental Impact Statement).

Members of the environmental committee worked after the public session of the meeting to draft a resolution which is expected to withold approval of the permit. That resolution will go before the full CB2 board tonight for a vote. We’ll report back asap on the results of that vote and the subsequent response of the DOT. Our thanks to CB2 and especially the board members of the environmental committee for their dogged commitment to keeping the West Village and NYC safe from the Spectra pipeline.

What Does a “Sound Abatement Curtain” Look Like?

clarity — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:09:59 +0000

On Monday night, Feb. 27th, The Waterfront Committee of Community Board 2 (CB2) met to consider a Department of Transportation (DOT) permit related to Spectra’s proposed plan. Any time the streets of the city are dug up, DOT must issue a permit, and DOT looks to the community boards for input on projects in their district. At Monday’s meeting, Spectra, as the applicant, was allowed to present their usual “safety is our first concern” powerpoint, and answer questions from the board and audience members. It was perhaps not surprising that many members of the community board were, until this meeting, unaware of the project, despite its great impact on the waterfront. Little, besides volunteer efforts, has been done to spread the word. Bloomberg would prefer the project to slip by unnoticed, and City Council speaker Christine Quinn is happy to support Bloomberg, despite intense opposition from her own district. Even so, audience participation at the meeting was fierce.

Missing from Spectra’s presentation was this artist’s rendering, of the “sound abatement curtain” the company proposes to mitigate nighttime construction noise from the neighborhood. Details on the construction and this illustration can be found in a letter to DEC Project Manager, Christopher Hogan, posted to a website promoting the project, called, ironically, “Yes, Gas Pipeline.”

At one point during the meeting, an audience member addressed the Spectra project manager and legal council and asked, “Has it crossed your mind what this project might do to the earth and to climate change?” He was met with confused stares.

What you need to know about The Gansevoort Peninsula

clarity — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:02:06 +0000

Spectra is applying for permits to begin construction as early as June. There are two crucial permissions Spectra needs for the Gansevoort Peninsula in the West Village, where they want to bury their pipeline. One is an easement from the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT), the other two permits from DOT (Department of Transportation), which looks to local community boards for input. We urge you to let the community board, and HRPT, know where you stand. It is crucial to have a big response here.

The Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) is the entity which oversees the Gansevoort Peninsula and the parkland along the river, including Pier 40 (Chelsea Piers). Spectra seeks a 30-year easement along the southern edge of the peninsula and in lands underwater where its pipe would be laid. See the draft Easement Agreement

Big things are in the works for the Gansevoort Peninsula, but poor planning abounds. If the Sanitation Department can be relocated, one redesign proposes a recreational area with a large grass lawn and rocky beach open to the public. However, objections from residents near the proposed relocation site still need to be addressed, and how much community support can be expected for a park built on top of a potentially explosive pipeline?

It’s bad enough that the pipeline route runs within 300 feet of an existing large playground, on the pier just south of the Gansevoort Peninsula (photo, below). The other ill-considered bit of urban planning is the pipeline’s proximity to the new $19,000,000 Marine Fire Station, which sits on a pier attached to the same spit of land. Its new $27 million fireboat, “Three Forty Three,” is named in honor of the 343 firefighters who died on duty at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

In addition to design issues, the Hudson River Park Trust is in dire financial shape, with predictions of a budget shortfall looming and Pier 40 in desperate need of reconstruction. But now Texas Eastern (the Spectra subsidiary which will build the pipe) has agreed to pay $2.7 million for the easement property. Not that $2.7 million is a small sum, but is the equivalent of a snazzy 2BR condo really worth the health and safety of the West Village?

Guess who’s on the board of governance for the HRPT? NYC mayor, Michael Bloomberg (who has a penchant for multi-million dollar gifting); Andrew Cuomo, Diana Taylor, and the deputy mayor, among other Bloomberg supporters. As you know, Bloomberg is the biggest booster behind this pipeline, and has been more and more vocal about his desire for upstate New York to get fracked.

But guess who’s also on the HRPT board? Manhattan Borough president, Scott Stringer, who has, more than any other politician, pushed FERC to take the whole picture into account on this pipeline. Stringer has called on FERC to include the cumulative impacts of shale gas delivery in the final EIS, and demanded that Spectra rescind its agreement with Chesapeake and Statoil. However, Stringer still believes the city needs additional gas capacity. Please let Scott Stringer know that you want the next mayor of New York to move beyond the fossil fuel dependence of the past directly into renewable energy, that you do not support the Spectra pipeline project, and that you hope he will show leadership in directing the HRPT away from this easement.

We hope that all decision makers at the Trust are open to hearing what the community has to say about this pipeline. A public hearing will take place on on Monday, March 26th, 5-8pm, at the Village Community School Auditorium, 272 West 10th Street (corner of Washington, one block east of the West Side Highway).

If you cannot attend, comments may be sent until April 25th by regular mail to: Laurie Silberfeld, Esq., Hudson River Park Trust, Pier 40, 2nd Floor, 353 West Street, New York, N.Y. 10014 or by email to gansevoorteasement@hrpt.ny.gov.

Radon Test Demonstration

clarity — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:04:59 +0000

The first ever NYC Citizens Radon testing Program is underway! Only a couple dozen of our 200 test kits remain available. Sign up today to receive your radon test kit by sending an email to: contact@saneenergyproject.org.

Or pick up a test kit this Saturday at the big anti-fracking rally at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (Amsterdam Avenue @111th Street, 1-3pm). Look for the Sane Energy Project table!

The test is EASY to do–watch a demo here: NYC Citizens Radon Testing Program Demo – YouTube

We are doing this test to measure the radon level in New York City’s gas supply, and to monitor whether radon levels rise as the source of our gas supply changes from faraway, conventional gas sources, to nearby, high-radon fracked shale gas. More info can be found here:Announcing The NYC Citizen Radon Testing Program | Stop the Spectra Pipeline!

To qualify for the test, you must live within the 5 boroughs and use a gas stove, and you must commit to retesting at the same residence for the next 2 winters.

For complete instructions
read this:http://dl.dropbox.com/u/41163777/radon%20instructions.pdf
To fill out an application to participate,
click here:http://dl.dropbox.com/u/41163777/radon%20application.pdf

For a list of pickup locations, or to have a test kit mailed to you, send an email to: contact@saneenergyproject.org.

Thank you for participating!

Announcing The NYC Citizen Radon Testing Program

clarity — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:14:54 +0000

Sane Energy Project has organized the first ever Citizen’s Radon Testing Program. Why do we need to test? Because fracked gas from the Marcellus could bring radon right to our apartment stoves, putting the entire city at risk for a major health hazard. Read why here.

Hopefully, the fact that radon is being monitored will give pause to those who are in such a rush to convert New York City’s buses, boilers and power plants to gas. Our goal is to establish a baseline reading this winter, and track average and individual readings over time. Read more about the program here. To sign up, send an email to: contact@saneenergyproject.org

We need at least 200 volunteers, across the 5 boroughs. Please sign up, and reach out to your friends and family to do so as well. This effort must reach beyond activists; everyone with a gas appliance is at risk for exposure. The tests cost $15 each, but through a generous arrangement, we can offer tests to those on limited budgets for half price. If you can pay the full price, thank you, it helps us to offer more tests to more volunteers, and we appreciate that!

We must complete testing by the end of February, so don’t delay–sign up today. More info here. Easy-to-follow instructions and the test kit itself will be sent out once you sign up. If you have questions, email us at: contact@saneenergyproject.org