Algonquin Opponents Stage 'Playdates' on Pipeline Route

Opponents of Spectra Energy’s plans to expand its Algonquin pipeline from Pennsylvania to Canada are hosting a week of Pipeline Playdates at playgrounds from Verplanck to Yorktown Heights that are on or near the route.

They say they are hoping to raise awareness among parents about the pipeline expansion and encourage them to get engaged and help protect their community.

“Some parents are still unaware this massive expansion is in the works,” said Courtney Williams of Peekskill, who is organizing the week of Pipeline Playdates with SAPE as part of the #StopSpectra Week of Action. “They have no idea that their neighborhood playground is built on top of the pipeline or will be only a few hundred feet from the new pipeline route. Others are concerned and want to know what they can do to halt the project.”

• To find out where there is a playdate near you or learn more about SAPE, visit www.SAPE2016.org.

Texas-based Spectra Energy wants to enlarge the pipeline through New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The company has planned the expansion in several small projects, including a new segment of pipeline from Stony Point in Rockland County, under the Hudson River, past the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant and the Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School. New facilities for venting and monitoring the gas are also proposed.

None of the gas being transported in the pipeline is for distribution in New York, Williams pointed out.

Many residents oppose the project because of documented health consequences of living near natural gas infrastructure and the safety risks posed by the pipeline.

RELATED:

FERC Says Environmental Impacts of Pipeline Expansion Minimal

Peaceful Resistance Training Offered to Opponents of Pipeline Expansion

Spectra Files Next Stage of Algonquin Pipeline Expansion

Christi O’Donnell of Peekskill, who is hosting a playdate at her daughter’s favorite playground, said in a prepared statement, “I’m opposed to the pipeline for a variety of reasons, but I think some of the most crucial ones for parents and families to learn about are the increased health risks in an area already identified as an Environmental Justice City.”

The safety risks of the pipeline came to the forefront for many residents when they learned that a Spectra pipeline in Arkansas exploded last week, Williams said. In that incident, Spectra was criticized by local governments for failing to notice that the pipeline had exploded and then being slow to notify them.

“How are we to trust Spectra to build this massive new pipeline under the Hudson next to Indian Point when just last week one of their pipelines ruptured under the Arkansas River and they didn’t even know it had happened until the Coast Guard called them?” asked Williams.

More than a week after that rupture Spectra said it still has no idea what caused the explosion which damaged a boat and dislodged a 400 ft length of the 24” pipeline—and regulatory authority over the leak seems obscure or non-existent, according to arkansasonline.com.

When asked why he’s hosting one of the events, Peekskill resident Erik Lindberg said, “The gas company and the government do not want to talk about this project with the public. But it’s going to effect homes, livelihoods, and communities all across the region. I just want as many residents as possible to know about what’s coming and the consequences. They have the right to have a say in what happens to their neighborhoods, and right now most people are being kept in the dark.”

Williams, working on behalf of SAPE said the best thing residents can do is pick up the phone.

“Our Senators and Congresspersons have been reluctant to really take a stand to stop this project,” she said. “They need to hear from constituents that their inaction is unacceptable. They need to step up and stop this project.”

ILLUSTRATION: sape2016.org