Millennium answers intervener motions

Posted 8/21/12

Nearly 100 individuals, municipalities and organizations have moved to become interveners in the permitting process for the proposed Millennium Pipeline project called the Eastern System Upgrade …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Millennium answers intervener motions

Posted

Nearly 100 individuals, municipalities and organizations have moved to become interveners in the permitting process for the proposed Millennium Pipeline project called the Eastern System Upgrade (ESU), which will include adding horsepower to the compressor in the Town of Hancock and constructing a new compressor in the Town of Highland.

Numerous residents of the area submitted similar letters to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) outlining their concerns. The letters said, in part, “I will be directly impacted by the emissions, environmental degradation, safety threats, psychological impacts, health impacts, and other harms that will be inflicted by the proposed project by virtue of my proximity to it in terms of where I live, work and/or recreate.

“I am also concerned about the impacts of this project on the health and safety of my family, my friends and myself. I am particularly concerned about the increased pollution that will result from this proposal and the additional expansions and construction activity that it is a part of, and will necessitate.

“I am concerned about the impacts of the related portions of this project that are yet to come, and have not yet been disclosed by Millennium.”

In its response to the many concerns submitted to FERC on September 16, Millennium was typically dismissive. Regarding concerns about the possible impact on human health, the pipeline company wrote, “The project is designed to comply with all applicable requirements under the Clean Air Act… the emissions from the new compression will be well within the federal and state standards for new emission sources that are protective of human health and the environment.”

However, simply asserting that a project meets regulatory requirements does not mean it won’t harm human health. The Millennium project in Minisink met regulatory requirements and yet, when the compression station was turned on, the impact on the health of one family was so severe that they walked away from their home, and various other members of the community complained of various negative health impacts.

These have all been documented in a study (tinyurl.com/zduvehg) specifically of residents who live near the Minisink compressor station, conducted by the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project (EHP).

The authors wrote: “EHP collected health information from 35 individuals, 12 of whom are children. A medical professional collected the data. Symptoms that developed after the potential exposure period (beginning summer 2013) or worsening pre-existing symptoms without a more plausible cause were reviewed. The health findings are consistent with information from other research reported in peer-reviewed literature and by other environmental health organizations.”

The complaints included respiratory problems, nosebleeds, neurological problems and skin rashes. Further, the report said, “Overall mental health and wellbeing levels were below normal for half of the respondents.”

Federal regulations in the past regarding everything from cigarette smoke to lead paint have been woefully inadequate and, according to a growing body of evidence, the regulations regarding the operation of compressor stations and the level of toxins they are allowed to emit need to be seriously reconsidered.

In the motions to intervene, some of the residents objected to the creation of the Highland compressor station because it will harm property values of nearby homes. Interestingly, in its answer to intervener motions, Millennium did not bother to argue that is not the case. How could it? After the Hancock compressor station was switched on, the town assessor agreed to reduce the assessed value of two homes in the neighborhood by 25% and reduce the value of two others by 50%.

Millennium did address the fact that Highland zoning prohibits the proposed compressor station. The company said that when it comes to pipeline infrastructure, whatever the local residents decide they want to do in their town is quite beside the point. Millennium wrote, “A commission order determining that construction and operation of the ESU Project is in the public convenience and necessity will preempt any local zoning ordinances that purport to prohibit the construction of interstate natural gas facilities.”

So when FERC declares the project is in the “public convenience and necessity,” the pipeline company gets whatever it wants, and we have seen repeatedly in the past that both FERC and Millennium put the company’s bottom line ahead of the health and wellbeing of the public.

A growing number of people believe that more fossil fuel infrastructure is almost never convenient or necessary, and the laws that allow FERC and Millennium to behave the way they have over the past decades need to change. We agree.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here