NY denies pipeline project

BY STACI WILSON

Despite the Earth Day decision Friday by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to deny the Constitution Pipeline Company’s water quality certification, the pipeline company said Monday that it remains committed to pursuing the federally-approved project and will likely challenge the state’s decision.

The New York announcement came just one day after hundreds of pipeline supporters from Pennsylvania and upstate New York held a rally in downtown Binghamton.

Jim Weyrauch, a pipeline worker and member of the 800,000 member Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), said the Constitution project was “huge” for his fellow union members.

“It will put a lot of guys to work and they’ll make good money,” he said. “It will be huge in the areas the pipeline goes through.”

Weyrauch said the pipeliners would be utilizing upstate restaurants, hotels, service industries, hardware stores and more.

Weyrauch, who lives in Delaware County, worked on a 9.5 mile loop line just over the state border from Dunbar Road to Kirkwood. He said that out of 67 laborers on that project, no less than 63 of them were from New York and 65 percent of those were “local hands” from the economically hurting Southern Tier area.

The third generation union laborer said he doesn’t believe many local people are against the project. He said he felt much of the resistance came from “people who live down-state with property here and the fractivists.”

“All the unions support the project,” Weyrauch said.

Scott Colton of the Northeastern Region Council of Carpenters agreed. He said the project was “vital” for his union.

“It goes beyond the pipeline,” he said. “It’s what industry it will bring once the pipeline is in the ground,” Colton said noting his frustration with the state’s delay.

Constitution Pipeline sponsors issued a joint statement on Monday: “In spite of NYSDEC’s unprecedented decision, we remain absolutely committed to building this important energy infrastructure project, which will create an important connection between consumers and reliable supplies of clean, affordable natural gas. We believe NYSDEC’s stated rationale for the denial includes flagrant misstatements and inaccurate allegations, and appears to be driven more by New York State politics than by environmental science.”

Constitution Pipeline is sponsored by both Williams and Cabot Oil & Gas, companies working locally in Susquehanna County.

“Constitution Pipeline worked closely with NYSDEC staff for more than three years to ensure that water quality measures are met before, during and after construction,” the statement read, noting changes and agreements reached with the NYSDEC.

“We worked in good faith with the NYSDEC for years, so this decision comes as a surprise and is contrary to our dialogue and collaborative effort to address concerns. The FERC-certificated route was developed after extensive environmental and engineering analysis, which included a comprehensive review of route alternatives.”

“We were informed by the NYSDEC that the agency had everything it needed to process the water quality certification. This point was further emphasized when the agency issued a notice on Dec. 24, 2014, indicating that the application was indeed administratively complete.”