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Take Immediate, Urgent Action to Require Governor Cuomo to DENY the Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the Constitution Pipeline

Greetings,

The New York Presidential Primary election has been decided with enormously weighty consequences for our local shale fracking and fossil fuel infrastructure battles as well as for similar grassroots organizing efforts in states from coast to coast. Thank you for all of your shockingly great help. More to follow.

Breaking News on NED Pipeline

Kinder Morgan reportedly just pulled the plug on its proposed $3.3 billion Northeast Energy Direct (NED) Pipeline. This sets the stage for killing the Constitution Pipeline which is proposed to be built along almost the same route. See Map

Tell Governor Cuomo That He Must DENY the Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the Proposed Constitution Pipeline

All our energy must immediately focus on doing everything possible to make sure that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo DENIES the Section 401 Water Quality Certification required for the Constitution Pipeline to be built. That would kill the 124-mile pipeline project dead.

Call the Governor during office hours at 518 474-8390. Tell his staff that the Department of Environmental Conservation's own data document a total of 114 major pipeline explosions, fires, ruptures and toxic discharges that often were never cleaned up to state standards. In many cases, no clean up efforts were undertaken.

This clearly proves New York can neither prevent catastrophic transmission pipeline disasters nor clean them up. This analysis totally contradicts FERC's assertion that, "impacts on waterbody and wetland resources will be effectively minimized or mitigated to the extent practicable."

New York must DENY the Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the Constitution Pipeline because it cannot fulfill the requirements of the U. S. Clean Water Act. New York can only issue a Water Quality Certification when the state determines that, "the proposed activity will not violate water quality standards."

See: Natural Gas, Crude Oil and Petroleum Product Pipeline Fires, Explosions, Accidents, Ruptures and Spills

See: Section 401 Certification

If you have any remaining strength, please write Governor Cuomo: Personalized Form Letter Which Requests That Governor Cuomo Deny All Section 401 Water Quality Certification Applications for Proposed Fossil Fuel Pipelines in New York.

Also sign our Coalition Letter Which Requests That Governor Cuomo End New York's Addiction to Fossil Fuels

Conclusion

Governor Cuomo will only have authority to render a decision on the Section 401 WQC for the Constitution Pipeline until approximately 4/26/16 or no later than the end of the month.

After that deadline, decision making authority would revert to FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), which already granted a conditional approval for the massive pipeline project.

Everything we have achieved is on the line. Take nothing for granted. Go Hard.

Your achievements have been stupendously great. May they continue. I am on bended knee with fingers crossed.

Thanks so much.

Cheers,

Walter