NARROWSBURG, NY — The Tusten Town Board meeting held on Tuesday, January 10 was abbreviated due to Supervisor Carol Wingert’s absence, and committee reports were the only thing on the agenda. As it turned out, the energy committee had a lot to report on.

On the heels of announcing that solar panels will soon be installed, the Tusten Energy Committee read a letter on the proposed natural gas compressor station in the Town of Highland. (They, incidentally, were holding its town meeting at the same time, where the town attorney drafted a resolution opposing the Millennium Pipeline compressor station.)

First, the solar panels. After about two and a half years of deliberation, the solar panels will be installed this April. The panels were first proposed in January 2014, and the town board signed the contract in October 2014. However, problems arose in 2015 when they were reported to the Department of Labor over prevailing wage.

But now, the Tusten Energy Committee was happy to report the issues had been resolved and they are ready to break ground. The installation will take six weeks, and it will use prevailing wage. The solar panels will be installed on the town barn on Route 97.

Tusten Energy Committee Chair and new councilmember Brandi Merolla said they have a 25 year lease, and there will be $300,000 in savings to the town over that time. It will also greatly reduce the town’s carbon footprint. Merolla also said they are inspiring other towns in the surrounding area to do the same thing and go solar.

Next came the compressor station. As has been reported, Millennium Pipeline is proposing a natural gas compressor station in the Town of Highland in Eldred. The proposed site, 80 acres of the Eldred Preserve located east of Route 55, is only half a mile from the Tusten border, and eight miles from town hall in Narrowsburg. The size of the compressor station would be 22,400 horsepower. In comparison, the Hancock compressor station has 15,000 horsepower and the Minisink compressor station has 12,600 horsepower. The engines run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The letter that Merolla read aloud says, “Although the location of the compressor station is planned to be located in Highland, this does not keep Tusten nor Bethel safe from the gas and chemical air emissions that come with this type of heavy industrial operation. Air pollutants know no boundaries.”

It goes on to say, “As a Climate Smart Community, Tusten should be concerned about the release of carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and neuro-toxins into our now clean air.” The Tusten Energy Committee is urging the Town of Tusten to contact the Sullivan County Legislators and ask them to initiate a public health impact study of the compressor station. They will draft a resolution to be presented at the next meeting, which is recessed to Wednesday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m.

The letter ends, “The Town of Tusten is on the verge of installing a solar array after 2 1/2 years of work to reduce our carbon emissions. We are committed to clean, safe energy. Our concern is with our planet's climate crisis, the health, safety and welfare of our residents, as well as our town's role in clean responsible energy choices.”

Councilman Tony Ritter pointed out that both Tusten and Highland have zoning laws that prohibit natural gas compression facilities.