We are a group of citizens in the Town of Bethlehem, in Albany County, in the State of New York, concerned with the environmental health of this town, and concerned about three fossil fuel projects being shoved down our throats by large and powerful corporations and their government apologists, namely:

CSX railway terminal and the oil trains that encircle our town.

The proposed Pilgrim Pipelines, a giant double oil pipeline that is planned to stretch from refineries in New Jersey all the way to the port of Albany, crossing the Hudson twice and connecting to both Global Inc and Buckeye. As luck would have it, it would right next to our Bethlehem high school soccer field and seriously threatens our collective treasure, the Hudson Estuary.

The Kinder Morgan/Tennessee Valley “Connecticut Expansion” NY loop, is a 1.3 mile fracked gas pipeline that manages to go underneath both the Vlomankill and Phllipinkill, two local tributaries of the Hudson. It is one pipeline in a three pipeline project impacting MA, CT and NY. It will blast right next to many people’s houses and wells. The residents, and the town, were misinformed about the nature of the project, with erroneous maps being circulated in the environmental community. In Massachusetts, the Audubon Society has filed suit on the basis of the project not having an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and not adhering to expected water protection standards.

Bethlehem, claiming this is just maintenance on an existing line, was also unaware that there is a pig receiver attached to this bypass pipeline which is designed to generate hazardous waste by cleaning the gas line by scraping it out. The concentrated radioactive waste will include radon, mercury, PCBs and numerous other toxic hydrocarbons. Since these are bioaccumulative in the food chain, they are of especial alarm to the protected species that Bethlehem traditionally respects. Since these tributaries flow into the estuary, this small project is of regional significance.

We say no to phenomenal public health and environmental risk with no local benefit and we say “LEAVE IT IN THE GROUND.” We also function as a legal defense fund to work against the Connecticut Expansion. Contact: Grace Nichols, 404-337-9916; mtnsbluegreen@gmail.com.

 

 

Published in September/August 2016
Save the Pine Bush Newsletter