submitted by Rich Crist
Members of the Rensselaer County Legislature said a new round of hearings should be scheduled and review of the proposed Kinder Morgan, Northeast Energy Direct pipeline be halted after the list of possible compressor station host sites was expanded.
[private]Legislators said a new round of hearings are needed because the recently concluded round of hearings by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission occurred when attention was focused on only one possible compressor station site.
In recent weeks, following conclusion of the hearings, it has been revealed Kinder Morgan is considering nine possible locations in Schodack and Nassau.
“In the interest of fairness, now that it has been revealed there are nine potential compressor station locations, a new round of public hearings should be scheduled to ensure all are heard on this important issue,” said Vice Chair of the Legislature Alex Shannon.
The nine potential locations included a significantly bigger area of Schodack and additional sites in Nassau, with a number of new neighborhoods and areas now potentially affected.
“There may be many more residents who wish to speak out now, with the news that a compressor station may be located in close proximity to their home and neighborhood. A number of these residents may not have spoken out during the recently concluded hearings because the project was located a considerable distance from their home, and should now be afforded the opportunity to be heard,” said Legislator Judith Breselor.
The Legislature is expected to consider a resolution requesting the new round of FERC hearings at the March 8 legislative meeting. The resolution is the latest in more than a dozen resolutions adopted by the Legislature stating opposition to the project and asking for more review of the project.
Legislators have opposed the project, noting the potential health, safety, quality of life, environment, property and economic development impacts. They have also noted the inability of Kinder Morgan to answer those concerns, and a changing set of information and plans in the proposal.
“There has been a frustrating fluidity to what is presented by Kinder Morgan. What is placed for review to the public by Kinder Morgan regarding this project often is changed or obsolete just weeks later, and it is difficult for residents to follow an ever-changing pattern of facts and proposals,” said Legislator Martin Reid, chair of the Legislature’s Environment Committee.[/private]