MONTICELLO, NY — A large crowd of union members, decked out in yellow t-shits, showed up at the public hearing regarding the Eastern System Upgrade Project (ESU) being pursued by Millennium Pipeline.  The project includes a new compressor station near Eldred, a second compressor in Hancock and about seven miles of pipe.  The hearing was held by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) which is considering issuing two state permits for the project

 Andrew Storno, Sullivan County Business Representative for the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 825, said his organization supports the project because of the 325 union jobs it is expected to create.  His remarks drew hearty applause from the union members.

Contrasting that was a comment from Karen London, co-chair of the Bethel Green Committee, who noted that, “Last month Governor Cuomo announced his goal to create 40,000 clean energy jobs in the state in the next three years, as well as investment of $1.5 billion in renewable energy projects. This project is slated to have at its peak 325 jobs, only 40% to local people,” and the jobs will last for only eight to ten months.

Bethel Supervisor Dan Sturm also spoke, and he noted that the town along with several other towns has pledged to participate in the DEC’s Climate Smart Energy Program, an effort to reduce fossil fuel emissions and achieve other sustainability goals.  He questioned the logic of the situation in which that DEC is preparing to grant permits for a facility that according to  Millenniums own calculations “will release 105,000 tons annually of CO2 equivalents – what sense does that make?”

Maureen Halahan, president and CEO of the Orange County Partnership, noted that president Donald Trump has criticized Upstate New York and said it “lacks ability to stay competitive.” She said the project would help the upstate area become competitive. Further, she said, “New York State businesses expect to save half a billion dollars in the first decade alone,” because of the project.

Jerry DaBrescia, president of Hancock Partners, said that Millennium had been a good neighbor regarding the construction of the compressor station on Hungry Hill Road in the Town of Hancock.

In contrast, Anthony DePalma, a part time resident of Delaware Lake, spoke representing Delaware Lake Commuity, located near the Hancock Compressor.  He said,  “there are only six houses within [a] half-mile radius [of the compressor], four of them have been wiped out; Millennium had to buy them, or bought them in order to build this, or had to buy them to satisfy the concerns of neighbors whose homes were damaged.  To me, that indicates it is an incompatible use in a residential area.”

He also said repeated a point that others made – that this project might be part of a larger project.

Several people that ESU is connected to the Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) power plant under construction in Orange County, and the Lateral Valley Pipeline, which will carry natural gas from the Millennium Pipeline to the CPV facility.  Several speakers said the three projects should all be reviewed as a single project in terms of the potential environmental impact.

Katie Higgins, a software engineer from the Village of Otego said, “the CPV power plant, the lateral valley pipeline and the ESU … together will pump 10 million tons or more of carbon dioxide equivalent pollution into the air, which will contribute to global warming and move in exactly the opposite direction than that which Governor Cuomo has claimed he wants to go.”

Maya van Rossum, The Delaware RiverKeeper, repeated that allegation.  She also said that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is responsible for issuing most of the necessary permits for the project, can’t be relied to insure that Millennium is being truthful regarding its future intentions. She said, in Pennsylvania, FERC “deliberately concealed information from the state on an alternative option for the Orion project,” which is currently under construction in Pike County and involves laying a second gas pipeline under the Lackawaxen River.