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Senators urge consideration of gas concerns
New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand
READING (9/7/2016)--U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D-New York) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) submitted another letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with concerns about Crestwood's underground natural gas storage in the town of Reading. The letter, dated Aug. 19, urges FERC to give full consideration to the safety and environmental concerns brought up by several groups and citizens in the area surrounding Seneca Lake. This comes following a decision by FERC in May to grant the project a two-year extension on construction that was initially approved in 2014.
"We would like to restate the concerns raised by our constituents since the Commission's issuance of the construction certificate in 2014," according to the letter. "These include the adverse impacts this project could have on public health, safety, the environment and quality of life currently enjoyed by many in this area. In addition, the federal government is considering new regulations to address the safety of natural gas storage that, if applied to this facility, could have substantial impact on a variety of constituent concerns and the way this facility would operate."
The letter also lists several groups that filed an appeal to FERC's decision in June, stating the commission did not consider critical safety concerns related to the project. The appeal also provided new information on safety that was not available when the certificate issued, arguing the extension of time was not justified and the commission should not permit Arlington to proceed until these issues are addressed.
"We are also aware that many of our constituent groups including Gas Free Seneca, Finger Lakes Wine Business Coalition, Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, and many surrounding towns and counties have come together to file an appeal to FERC halting this project until the serious environmental and safety issues they have raised are properly addressed," according to the letter. "We ask that you give this appeal appropriate and thorough consideration."
FERC had originally granted the construction permit authorizing construction in 2014, but the project has been delayed while waiting on the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to come to a decision on the the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) portion of the project. This also comes after Crestwood announced they would be scaling back the LPG project while eliminating train and truck distribution at the site.
"We are extremely grateful to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for listening to their constituents and lending their support," said Joseph Campbell, president of Gas Free Seneca. "We know that FERC has come under great scrutiny for rubber-stamping all gas related projects, so we hope that hearing from our senators will encourage FERC to carefully consider our appeal."
The senators' letter also comes shortly after Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting, Inc., an environmental database firm in Ithaca, released U.S. Salt spill information obtained from the DEC. Hang claims many spills were never cleaned up to state standards even though they caused petroleum contamination and brine discharges that affected Seneca Lake. The information Hang provided included 17 different spill events spanning from 1974 to 2016 of varying amounts of brine or oil, the largest of which being the spilling of 470,000 gallons of brine in 1980. Hang also submitted a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office urging him to deny all gas storage petitions at the site.
"This information documents that New York authorities are unable to prevent or clean up toxic spills," Hang said.
Gas Free Seneca Co-Founder Yvonne Taylor said there have been seven spills listed in Hang's information in the eight years Crestwood owned the property. While two of these spills appear to be a duplicate report (dated March 16, 2016) for the same incident, the spills during this timeframe amount to 5.25 gallons of oil and 7,654 gallons of brine since Crestwood took over, according to Hang's information.
"That's not really good odds," Taylor said. "[...] It doesn't bode well for increasing gas storage over there. The human error and equipment failure they are already experiencing, it gave us great pause."
Meanwhile, Crestwood representatives highlighted the investments that have been made in the facility to help improve the plant's operation.
"We cannot speak to incidents that occurred before we bought U.S. Salt in 2008," Crestwood Vice President Brad Bacon stated. "We knew that significant catch-up investment would be required, and we have spent tens of millions to upgrade and modernize the plant operations. Although our goal is an incident-free workplace, the incidents that have occurred since we finished replacing the brine pipeline system in 2013 have been minor. Despite what this group would like you to believe, there is nothing nefarious or catastrophic here -- the state's experts had this data before strongly endorsing our propane storage project."
Tompkins requests public hearing on Dominion pipeline
The former CNG Transmission Station on Ellis Hollow Creek Road, now owned by Dominion. The station has been the site of a petroleum spill of unknown scope, according to new data.
(Photo: NICK REYNOLDS / Staff Photo)
Tompkins County legislators voted Tuesday to request a public hearing discussing the Dominion New Market Pipeline project.
The project would involve the expansion of its existing pipeline systems in New York as well as construction and modification of compressor stations. The 200-mile natural gas pipeline passes through Tompkins County and includes the Borger Compressor Station at 219 Ellis Hollow Creek Road. The Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting public comments until Monday regarding draft air discharge permits.
The issue drew dozens of people to the Tompkins legislature meeting Tuesday, and 16 people spoke in support of the resolution. Local residents opposed to the pipeline voiced concerns about environmental and safety hazards of the pipeline and urged Tompkins County legislators to go further and oppose the project.
The legislature voted unanimously to request the DEC to hold a public hearing.
Walter Hang, president of Toxics Targeting, called on legislators to oppose the pipeline because it would cause additional toxic pollution hazards in Tompkins County and across New York, he said. Hang also said the pipeline would also "help perpetuate America's addiction to fossil fuels" and contribute to global climate change.
"The key thing is, I urge you to take action now because the deadline for comment is ending (Sept.) 12th," Hang said.
At a press conference in early August, Hang told reporters that a number of petroleum spills at several transmission stations along the pipeline's route from Horseheads to Schenectady — including two in Dryden — could put the project in jeopardy as it violated the Clean Water Act. Hang said the spills that occurred on the sites have not been cleaned up.
However, Dominion Transmission disagreed with Hang's claim, saying no sites in New York need cleanup. Dominion Transmission said in a statement that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the project in April after evaluating all environmental, health and safety concerns associated with the project.
Regi Teasley said Tompkins County should oppose the pipeline to show leadership on issues of climate change. Other local residents said if legislators opposed the pipeline, it would be consistent with their actions over the years regarding fossil fuels and sustainability.
Ultimately, legislators did not add an amendment opposing the project. Many legislators agreed with Dooley Kiefer, D-Cayuga Heights, who said opposing the pipeline would complicate the county's request for a public hearing.
"They would certainly not schedule a public hearing when we've already told them where we stand," Kiefer said. "But I think requesting a public hearing is exactly what we should be doing. ... That does not mean that individuals legislators cannot, as individuals, comment."
Carol Chock, D-Ithaca, moved to add two amendments to the resolution requesting more studies be done. The first study would look at the capacity of the pipeline segments in Tompkins County to see if it could withstand the proposed increased volume and pressure before any permit is issued. The second amendment calls on the DEC to study greenhouse gas emissions along the length of proposed pipeline in New York State, "including carbon equivalents from methane and utilizing recent scientific evidence regarding methane leakage, as has been done in the 2016 Tompkins County Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory."
Both amendments unanimously passed, as did the full resolution requesting a public hearing.
Three public hearings have passed, but members of the public can still file written comments to the NYS DEC. All comments must be postmarked or submitted electronically by fax or email no later than Monday. Contact: Christopher M. Hogan, NYS DEC - Division of Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-1750, Phone: (518) 402-9151, Fax: (518) 402-9168, Email: NewMarketProject@dec.ny.gov.
19 spills in 32 years: Ithaca firm details U.S. Salt discharges into Seneca Lake; Crestwood downplays findings
This is an aerial photo of the Crestwood/Con-Edison natural-gas-storage site in the Schuyler County town of Reading. It was taken in 2012.
It was taken in 2012.
READING — An Ithaca firm specializing in environmental database services says Seneca Lake has been polluted by south-end brine spills and petroleum releases repeatedly over the past 40 years.
In releasing the information obtained from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Walter Hang of Toxics Targeting Inc. is asking the state to deny issuing the permits Crestwood Equity Partners LP needs to store natural gas and propane on 576 acres north of Watkins Glen.
Officials from the Houston-based company, which bought the site in 2008, downplayed Hang’s findings.
“We cannot speak to incidents that occurred before we bought U.S. Salt in 2008,” Crestwood vice president Brad Bacon wrote in an email to the Times.
“We knew that significant catch-up investment would be required, and we have spent tens of millions to upgrade and modernize plant operations. Although our goal is an incident-free workplace, the incidents that have occurred since we finished replacing the brine pipeline system in 2013 have been minor.
“Despite what this group would like you to believe, there is nothing nefarious or catastrophic here. The state’s experts had this data before strongly endorsing our propane storage project.”
Hang wrote Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a letter dated Sunday asking him to reject Crestwood’s application and impose a moratorium on new fossil-fuel projects.
“Many spills were never cleaned up to state standards, even though they caused extensive petroleum contamination, resulted in huge brine discharges of up to 470,000 gallons, polluted groundwater or directly impacted Seneca Lake,” Hang said. “Citizens who want to preserve Seneca Lake will be shocked to learn about massive pollution spills reported over the course of four decades at the giant salt mine and gas storage facility in Reading. This information documents that New York authorities are unable to prevent or clean up toxic spills that have polluted one of the most famous lakes in the world.”
Hang listed information on each of 19 spills or discharges from U.S. Salt, International Salt and Akzo Salt from 1974 to 2016. He wrote that the DEC has a responsibility and obligation through the federal Clean Water Act to establish and implement a policy which protects existing water quality from being degraded.
“Given that mandate and other legal requirements to safeguard New York’s water quality, I respectfully request that you deny hydrocarbon storage permit applications pursuant to the New York State Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Law and related state approvals required for methane and LPG facilities to be built and operated in Reading by Arlington Storage Co. LLC, Crestwood Equity Partners LP, Stagecoach Gas Services LLC, Finger Lakes LPG Gas Storage LLC or other inter-related corporate entities,” he said.
Hang maintained that of the dozens of pollution releases over the past 32 years, most of the spills were never cleaned up in compliance with state standards — and some caused widespread groundwater contamination.
“Others simply dissipated in Seneca Lake without any remedial effort whatsoever, even though heavy soil sheen reportedly spread up to 1.5 miles,” he wrote. “With all due respect, I believe it would be irresponsible to grant approvals for massive new fossil fuel infrastructure projects that can potentially cause irreparable harm to New York’s environmental and public health while perpetuating New York’s addiction to natural gas, LPG and other fossil fuels.”
Seneca Lake, the largest and deepest of the 11 Finger Lakes, provides drinking water for more than 100,000 people, including residents of Geneva and Waterloo.
Where things stand
Houston-based Crestwood Equity Partners LP has two projects in the works for its 576-acre site in the Schuyler County town of Reading.
The first is a joint venture that involves Consolidated Edison. The plan, called Stagecoach Gas Services, would expand natural gas storage in abandoned salt caverns on the site. Earlier this year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted an extension for construction on the expansion to begin.
Meanwhile, Crestwood has scaled back its proposal to store liquefied petroleum gas in other salt caverns. Their revised plan includes propane but not butane, eliminates one of two brine ponds, and takes a rail and truck transportation hub out of the equation. The DEC has yet to rule on Crestwood’s application for a permit.
Environmentalist Says 18 Spills Documented At Crestwood
WENY (Watkins Glen, NY) -- A local environmental firm is looking into the history of spills at Crestwood Midstream.
Toxics Targeting says they obtained Department of Environmental Conservation documents about spills that have occurred at the proposed Liquid Petroleum Gas storage site.
An environmental database firm in Ithaca, Toxics Targeting, released information they say they obtained from the Department of Environmental Conservation about previous spills at the site of Crestwood Midstream's proposed Liquid Petroleum Gas storage facility.
Their documents show 18 spills have occurred dating back to 1974.
However, Crestwood has owned the property since 2008.
"So over the course of more than 40 years we've seen the release of petroleum. We've seen releases of brine, which is toxic. It can kill vegetation. It can kill fish. Many of these problems were never cleaned up to applicable state standards. Much of the contamination impacted Seneca Lake," said Walter Hang, President of Toxics Targeting.
Of the 18 spills, Toxics Targeting says some were minor and affected the surface of Seneca Lake.
They say other spills released upwards of 470-thousand gallons of brine.
"So given those problems and given the state's inability to prevent problems and to clean them up to applicable state standards, we're today calling on Governor Cuomo not to authorize any gas storage permits at this site," said Walter Hang, President of Toxics Targeting.
Now just last week, WENY News exclusively obtained a letter from the DEC that said quote "department staff continues to assert that the project meets all applicable environmental statutory and regulatory standards."
WENY News reached out to Crestwood who said:
"We cannot speak to incidents that occurred before we bought US Salt in 2008. We knew that significant catch-up investment would be required, and we have spent tens of millions to upgrade and modernize the plant operations. Although our goal is an incident-free workplace, the incidents that have occurred since we finished replacing the brine pipeline system in 2013 have been minor. Despite what this group would like you to believe, there is nothing nefarious or catastrophic here - the state's experts had this data before strongly endorsing our propane storage project."
Opposition to Gas Storage & Related Activities Continues
READING, N.Y. (18 NEWS) -
An Ithaca-based environmental data collection agency known as 'Toxics Targeting' released data it says is compiled from New York State DEC data outlining chemical spills in Seneca Lake. The data released by company president Walter Hang on Monday goes back to nearly 40 years ago.
The data compiled is from the area of the gas storage facility in Reading and the salt mines just south of the facility on Rt. 14.
Hang claims the state DEC was unable to clean the spills to New York's standards.
"The data I'm releasing today totally refute that assertion. New York state DEC has no ability to continue to prevent these massive contamination problems or to clean them up so they have no impact on public health. This is proven by their own data," said Hang.
Based on the findings, Hang and others are calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to put a moratorium on all gas related activities in New York.