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Another Hugely Important Interstate Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Kill/Thanks and Congrats to Everyone Who Helped Thwart Northern Access Pipeline

Greetings Fracktivists,

It is with immense relief, happiness and gratitude that I am pleased to report that our unrelenting campaign to require Governor Cuomo to adopt a moratorium on all approvals for fossil fuel pipelines, gas storage facilities, power plants and other infrastructure projects in New York State just got a HUGE BOOST.

The Cuomo administration reportedly announced today that it DENIED permission for National Fuel's proposed Northern Access Pipeline to proceed, "due to the project's failure to avoid adverse impacts to wetlands, streams, and fish and other wildlife habitat."

See: DEC denies Northern Access Pipeline permits

This is precisely what I requested when I testified at the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) 2/9/17 hearing. I alerted you that:

"I testified that DEC must DENY a Section 401 Water Quality Certification as well as wetland/waterway and other approvals required for the proposed project to be built. I documented National Fuel pipeline explosions/pollution releases and asserted that DEC cannot possibly certify the Northern Access Pipeline will NOT cause water quality violations as required by the Clean Water Act. I also referenced massive pipeline failures that DEC failed to prevent or clean up in the Niagara Frontier, including a spill of 1,023,000 gallons of brine that occurred not far from the hearing site (bold is emphasis in the original).

I refuted testimony that Northern Access Pipeline could be built properly and operated safely. I also included our fossil fuel infrastructure moratorium request in the official hearing record."

My formal written comments were submitted by DEC's 2/24/17 deadline. I reiterated that:

"DEC must DENY a Section 401 for the proposed Northern Access Pipeline Project because National Fuel has already failed to prevent or clean up to state standards numerous major spills involving existing pipelines, compressor stations and other infrastructure projects. These spills caused groundwater as well as surface water pollution problems.

See below and: DEC-Reported National Fuel Spills"

I invite you to read my excruciatingly detailed comments to Governor Cuomo: Request That You Require Your Department of Environmental Conservation to DENY Section 401 Water Quality Certification and All Other State Approvals for the Proposed Northern Access Pipeline

Conclusion

Since our Fossil Fuel Infrastructure Campaign was launched on 12/17/15, we have collectively taken highly effective action to halt infrastructure projects that would perpetuate New York's addiction to fossil fuels by documenting DEC's failure to prevent and clean up catastrophic toxic pollution hazards caused by pipelines, compressor stations, gas storage facilities and power plants.

We have now played an instrumental role in killing nearly $4.5 billion in proposed projects, including the Constitution, Northeast Energy Direct (NED) and Northern Access pipelines, by requiring Governor Cuomo to DENY Section 401 Water Quality Certifications and wetland/waterway approvals required for those deplorable projects to proceed.

Our work has limited the ability of Pennsylvania firms to transport fracked gas to out-of-state markets. This has helped constrain shale fracking in PA.

These victories are simply hard to believe. Our unrelenting and highly coordinated 24/7 data research and policy advocacy efforts combined with media outreach and grassroots organizing involving thousands of Fractivists all over New York and from coast to coast is delivering a brutal hammering to the Second Floor.

Special congratulations and thanks to all the Niagara Frontier activists who diligently phonebanked Governor Cuomo each and every day for months on end and otherwise fought so hard to safeguard their communities.

I commend the efforts of everyone who helped achieve this landmark win. Way to go hard.

More shortly about how we must use this key decision to exert maximum pressure to kill Dominion New Market Pipeline as well as Crestwood Gas Storage in Reading, NY.

Do not believe anyone who tells you to thank the Governor. He must do a lot more to earn our thanks. Do not listen to shills.

In conclusion, please give yourselves another well-deserved nice pat on the back. Your achievements are monumental.

Thanks so much for all your help. Can you believe this? Winning is way better than losing.

Keep slugging. Onward and upward.

Gratefully yours,

Walter