The Sullivan County legislature thinks that you are stupid. That’s right, stupid. There is no other possible explanation to justify their actions, since Millennium Pipeline announced its intention to put a 22,400 hp compressor in the Town of Highland on property formerly owned by the Eldred Preserve. This week, with great pride, Legislator Scott Samuelson and Legislator Nadia Rajsz announced a new RFP for a project meant to measure existing air, water and ambient noise. Rajsz proclaimed it would achieve “a baseline to guide us as the project moves forward and help preserve our quality of life.” She must be joking. Moving the project forward does anything but preserve our quality of life.

The proposed Highland compressor is contrary to a local zoning law that prohibits large-scale industrialization. The law was written as a sharp rebuke against fracking and its related infrastructure. It was on the books for a reason, and Millennium’s plans to usurp local authority galvanized residents. In a standing-room-only town hall meeting, locals railed against an outside corporation defying home rule, polluting our environment, lowering our real estate values, and endangering our health. Legislator Scott Samuelson was in attendance and heard the impassioned pleas to our community leaders to stand up and oppose this unwanted project.

Mr. Samuelson got an earful that evening. He hasn’t been back since.

A few months later, boards representing Tusten, Narrowsburg, Minisink Ford, Barryville, Yulan, Eldred, Lumberland, Highland Lake, Lake DeVenoge, Glen Spey, Bethel, Smallwood, White Lake, Kauneonga Lake, Mamakating, Bloomingburg and Wurtsboro voted to oppose Millennium’s expansion plans. Public opposition was clear. The legislature was provided with an alarming study of health problems occurring around Millennium’s existing Minisink compressor.

In April of 2016, at an open public meeting, Sullivan County legislators were presented with the public’s concerns. Out of the blue, Mr. Samuelson, though not chairman of nor on the health committee, announced a proposed health study that he had negotiated directly with Millennium. At that meeting, he was informed that comprehensive air monitoring around existing facilities was necessary, if a determination on safety was to be made. No half-measures would do. Samuelson assured the public that getting to the bottom of the health concerns was a top priority.

Now, over a year later, having failed to get anything accomplished (and sacrificing their legal standing by not intervening with FERC), the legislature has put out their third RFP for a proposed study. To date, no air monitoring at Minisink or Hancock has been done and Samuelson, abetted by Rajsz, has put forward an RFP for a baseline study that treats the proposed facility as a fait accompli. Health studies are not even included. What is perhaps most galling is that a previous, more expansive RFP was bid on, but legislators decided in secret to deny awarding the contract. Who among them made that decision is not publicly known, nor are the objections to the methodology of the bidders and justifications for denying the award.

So, our beaming legislators have announced this new study, hoping that we have no memory whatsoever. They continue to kick the can down the road and promote a fig leaf that says, “I care.” At this point you would be stupid if you think they do.

No permits have been issued yet, and major inconsistencies in Millennium’s proposal have been flagged and presented to the governing bodies that can still stop this unwanted project. The battle is hardly over. Why the legislators do not stand in opposition along with the people whose taxes pay their salaries remains a mystery. Who do they work for, if not us? Remind them.

[George Billard is a resident of the Town of Highland. See also news story on page 1.]