The Powerpoint from Kingstoncitizens.org's January 28th, 2017 forum at Kingston City Hall.

1. The Pilgrim Pipelines
What Ulster County Citizens Need to Know
Presented by KingstonCitizens.org
Jeremy Cherson, Riverkeeper
Jennifer Metzger, Citizens for Local Power
Andy Bicking, Scenic Hudson
Sue Rosenberg, CAPP-NY

2. Bakken-to-East Coast Route
Crude Oil Trains, Barges and Potential Pipelines
As industry has extracted more oil, it has employed
a “virtual pipeline” of trains, barges, and ships to get
Bakken crude from North Dakota and Canada to coastal refineries.
Approximately 20-25% of these rail shipments are destined for east coast refineries in the
New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Delaware area. All of this crude oil travels through New
York, either by rail or barge (Mouwad, 2014).

3. • Two 178-mile pipelines
between Albany & Linden, NJ
(79% of mainline is along
thruway)
• 40 miles in Ulster County
• Bakken crude oil would flow
south & refined products
would flow north (up to 400K
barrels a day)
• 31 towns, cities and villages in
6 counties in NY
• Proposed route is subject to
change as a result of SEQRA

4. • 5 lateral pipelines connecting to
terminals along the route
• Roseton Lateral would run through
Towns of Plattekill and Marborough
• 257 water bodies potentially traversed,
including 2 Hudson River crossings,
Esopus, Rondout and Wallkill crossings
• 99 Proposed Access Roads for Ulster
County
• 4 Pump stations including Town of Ulster
• Minimum 100’ Right of Way (trench
excavation, blasting & tree removal)

5. • “Light, sweet” crude
• More volatile than
other crude products
• Involved in numerous
rail incidents

6. • CSX Line from WNY
Via Buffalo and
Selkirk railyard
• Oil supplied to Global
Partners facility
arrives by CP Line via
Canada and
Champlain Valley
Chad Gomes
Map: New York State

7. Do Actual flows do not justify a $1 billion dollar
pipelines project?
Source: Lorne Stockman, Oil Change International
http://priceofoil.org/2016/01/25/companys-case-for-proposed-new-york-pilgrim-pipelines-undermined-by-data/

8. 2004-2012
Pipelines Spilled
3X
as much as oil trains
(Source: International Energy Agency)
2003-2013
1,880 crude oil pipeline incidents (~1 every 2
days)
44m gallons spilled
$2.5b+ in property damage. (Source: PHMSA)

9. 5%
of leaks detected by remote sensors
2002-July 2012
(InsideClimateNews and PHMSA)

10. The Keystone Pipeline, a 6 year old pipeline spilled 16,800
gallons in North Dakota. 35 leaks in first year of operation.

12. Photo Andre J. Jackson/ MCT; Data, PHMSA
What’s at Risk

13. Clean Water

14. Based on an analysis of Pilgrim’s Preliminary DEIS a break in the
pipelines would release
168,000
Gallons per hour
If safety systems
operate properly
357,000
Gallons per hour
If safety shut off
systems fail

15. Water Supplies – Town of Ulster municipal wellfield (Halycon), Hurley
Water Corp wellfields, Lake Washington (Newburgh), Delaware and
Catskill Aqueducts, NJ Highlands, Passaic River Basin and the Rahway River
are all threatened.
Hudson River, Rondout, Esopus and Wallkill - Pipelines would cross
the Hudson twice—drinking water supply for 100,000+ people—& every
major tributary west of the river

17. – Pipelines would enter into Catskill , Harriman and Sterling Forest State
Parks and impact a total of 19 public parks in NY & 11 Scenic Hudson parks
– At least 148 acres would be impacted by fragmentation, removal of soils,
and blasting
– Construction would cut through 292 state and federal wetlands
– the proposed route threatens at least 27 state & federally listed
endangered species and 6 coastal fish & wild life habitat areas

19. – Higher homeowners insurance
rates, lower property values, loss of land due to eminent domain
– Significant risks to first
responders, equipment and training costs for emergency
preparedness, high costs for spill response public safety planning
– 98 farms (12,742 acres)—providing New Yorkers with
supplies of fresh, local food—are threatened by the pipelines

21. The quantity of indirect emissions from the oil carried
by these proposed pipelines would be 32-36 million
metric tons (MMT) per year (Citizens for Local
Power analysis).

22. How have Local Communities
Responded?

23. • Esopus
• Gardiner
• Kingston
• Marbletown
• New Paltz (Town
• New Paltz (Village)
• New Windsor
• Plattekill
• Rochester (Ulster Co.)
• Rosendale
• Wawarsing
• Woodstock
• Ulster County Legislature
• Ulster County Executive
• 60+ municipalities and counties
in NY & NJ oppose the
pipelines
Ulster County Resolutions Opposing the
Project

26. Federal – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers… (no federal agency with siting authority)
NY State – Department of State, Department of Environmental
Conservation, New York State Thruway Authority…
Local – 38 county, city, town and village governments in New
York would be involved in the permitting process

27. New York Transportation Corporation Law
•Source of Pilgrim Pipeline’s authority
•Defines pipeline corporations as “organized
to construct and operate pipelines for
public use” to transport petroleum, among
other products .
•Law gives pipeline corporations the right to
take property and condemn land, subject to
certain requirements and restrictions.

28. •No federal agency with overarching authority
•Multiple approvals and permits are required
•No pipeline may be constructed “in an
incorporated village or city” unless
authorized by a two-thirds vote of the
legislative body of the city or village.

29. •Application submitted for only
1 of dozens necessary
•State Environmental Quality
Review Act
•Thruway and Department of
Environmental Conservation
are “lead agencies” of the
environmental review

30. Positive
Declaration Issued
(September 14)
Scope
Environmental
Impact Statement
(upcoming)
Prepare Draft
Environmental
Impact Statement
“[T]here is a potential for multiple significant adverse environmental
impacts from the construction, operation and maintenance of the
pipeline…”

31. Next Steps in the SEQR Process
• Release of a draft Scope (the table of
contents for the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement)
• Comment period could be limited
• Identification of local impacts of concern to
your town, its businesses and residents will be
particularly important

32. What is a “Positive Declaration” and why it is important!
1. Impacts on Land
2. Impacts on Geological Features
3. Impacts on Surface Waters
4. Impacts on Groundwater
5. Impacts on Flooding
6. Impacts on Air
7. Impacts on Plants and Animals
8. Impacts on Agricultural Resources
9. Impacts on Aesthetic Resources
10. Impacts on Archeological Resources
11. Impacts on Open Space and
Recreation
12. Impacts on Critical Environmental
Areas
13. Impacts on Transportation
14. Impacts on Energy
15. Impacts on Noise, Odor and Light
16. Impacts on Human Health
17. Consistency with Community Plans
18. Consistency with Community
Character
19. Cumulative Impacts
20. Coastal Consistency

33. to identify potential local impacts & community
resources that the lead agencies may not be aware of.
Water/air quality, farmland, open space, recreational resources,
climate change, fish and wildlife, culture, economics, and public
health.
And define the breadth of study necessary to address the impact’s
significance in terms of time, geography and populations affected.
Include different locations, size or technologies and other courses of
action.

34. •Potential impacts to local drinking
water supplies from aquifers,
municipal wells and other surface
water resources
•Crossings of local streams and
creeks. Construction through
wetlands, floodplains and floodways.
Destruction of forest, removal of
soils, and blasting of bedrock
•Stormwater impacts due to
vegetation removal

35. •Taking of local public and private property
•First responder preparedness costs and spill clean-
up costs
•Negative impacts on existing businesses and
potential future economic development
•Impact on property values, future tax revenue

36. • Stay involved in the environmental review process. Handouts
available with action items!
• Contact your municipal and county officials and ask them to prepare
for the environmental review process and submission of their own
comments
Thruway Authority’s Processing of Pilgrim’s Application for
Use and Occupancy Permit:
• Pass local resolutions opposing Pilgrim Pipelines and their use of
Thruway right of way.
Where do we go from here?

38. • Reduce energy bills
• Create local jobs
• Invest energy dollars locally,
rather than exporting them, as
we do now
• Reduce the severity of climate
change
Invest in Clean Energy and Energy
Efficiency

39. •The Ulster County government: first to be carbon-neutral in the State.
•County has NY's largest network of public EV charging stations.
•Ulster County has NY's highest number of residential solar installations.
•Municipalities are working to develop a local public power program.
We are well on our way....

40. Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, Citizens for Local Power & the Coalition Against Pilgrim
Pipelines-NY will alert you to opportunities to weigh in with the Governor and State
Legislature