| TO: | Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission Public Hearing @ Yonkers Public Library 1500 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers, New York |
| FROM: | Millennium Pipeline Committee, Town
of Greenburgh % Alice Moroney, 511 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY 10595-1547 |
| DATE: | May 18, 1999 |
| RE: | DEIS for the Millennium Pipeline |
Prior to any decision being made on the approval or modification of the Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation’s application for this major new gas line, the Millennium Pipeline Committee for the Town of Greenburgh is presenting the following issues which we would like the Final Environmental Impact Statement to address.
Our concerns center around two issues:
- The lack of demonstrated need for additional natural gas capacity of this magnitude in our area, and
- Our great apprehension for the proposed route as it passes through the Town of Greenburgh.
While this pipeline which originates in Western Canada will be carrying 700 million cubic feet of natural gas across the continent every day, Greenburgh is almost at the very end of this line. It is not clear just how much natural gas will be transported through this pipeline as it passes through our Town, and how much of this gas is truly really needed downstream. We have never heard of inadequate natural gas volume either on Long Island or in New York City, and would like to know that there is true justification for bringing in such additional capacity through our town.
But the primary concern of our committee is over the proposed route through the Town of Greenburgh. There are three concerns for our second issue:
- The Ardsley earthquake fault
- The potential for accidents
- The feasibility of having this pipeline in the same right-of-way as electrical power lines, and in certain places, with the principal aqueduct system for New York City.
Columbia Gas has not adequately addressed the seismic implications of the Ardsley earthquake fault. In its Customer Service literature, Columbia Gas makes mention of the Ramapo earthquake fault in Rockland County. They dismiss it as unlikely, as nothing has occurred for the last 185 million years. But we all remember the Ardsley earthquake in 1985. This earthquake occurred under conditions that are unlike any in the California area as the ground here is rock solid and is not composed of shifting plates in softer soil. A heavier pipe is not the simple answer. We would like additional study done on this subject as this pipeline passes directly over the site of the 1985 quake as it crosses Jackson Avenue in Greenburgh.
The potential for accidents is a concern for this pipeline as it passes through any town across the continent. As this pipeline comes down the power line right–of- way in Greenburgh, it passes very close to residential areas in the village of Elmsford and in the Ardsley section of Greenburgh. A number of homes are seconds away in the event of a catastrophic accident. There is a conundrum here in just how deep to bury this pipeline. If it is buried deep enough to minimize the likelihood of a digging accident, then the risk becomes that it may be more likely to break under stress from the seismic activity that we know is in this immediate area. We are asking that this pipeline be rerouted away from these vulnerable residential areas.
Placing the Millennium pipeline in the same right-of-way as the high-tension power lines, and in certain places, with the principal aqueduct system for New York City, is not good planning. It is a triple whammy for both accidents and for terrorism. The pipeline becomes the ignition for the other two utilities. This should be better thought out.
In conclusion, we are asking that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission require that the concerns of the Town of Greenburgh’s Millennium Pipeline Committee be adequately and satisfactorily addressed as part of the Final Environmental Impact Study. Thank you.
For further information or if you are interested in working on the Millennium Pipeline Committee, contact Alice Moroney, 511 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, New York 10595-1547; TEL: 914 592-7916; FAX: 914 592-0234