Op-Ed: Reducing Emissions From Natural Gas Facilities

To the Editor:

It took only a couple of days for two more towns to follow North Salem Town Board’s lead in passing a Resolution 1 pressing New York State to adopt more stringent regulations regarding toxic emissions from natural gas facilities.

The Town of Somers and the Town of Southeast, host to the Southeast natural gas compressor station and a metering station, joined nearby North Salem to implore the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) to develop and enforce rigorous regulations to reduce chemical exposures from compressor stations, metering stations, gas power plants and pigging stations sited along gas transmission pipelines across the State.

Just last month, North Salem schools were forced to cancel outdoor play and sports activities for two days in response to the strong blow-down emissions from the nearby Turk Hill metering station in Southeast along the Algonquin Pipeline, a 42-inch diameter, high pressure gas transmission pipeline that crosses under the Hudson River from Rockland into Westchester and Putnam Counties and on through New England.

Air emissions data from the NYS DEC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2 showed that natural gas facilities in New York emit millions of pounds of toxic chemicals each year including benzene and formaldehyde, known carcinogens. Local communities within a few miles of these facilities are most at risk from exposures, especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory, pulmonary and cardiovascular disease. Headaches, burning eyes, breathing difficulty and exacerbation of health problems are a few of the acute symptoms of exposure; chronic exposure can lead to pulmonary, reproductive and cardiovascular problems as well as certain types of cancer.

Recently, in response to the DEC’s preliminary interest in developing new regulations, a group of independent engineers, air experts, physicians, public health scientists and other advocates submitted recommendations. More than one hundred organizations statewide endorsed a letter to Governor Cuomo, the NYS DEC and the New York State Department of Health supporting the recommendations, and more towns are now climbing on board to pass resolutions urging the State’s adoption and implementation of these critical measures.

Current NYS regulations are inadequate, failing to require available emissions control technology, continuous air monitoring, advance blow-down notification and strict enforcement of best management practices and protocols.

Federal air quality standards do not address toxicity to residents in local communities surrounding these facilities.

While New York State must rapidly transition to 100% renewable energy, it must also provide the most forceful, up-to-date regulatory framework for these heavily polluting facilities that currently crisscross our State and significantly impact our air, water, soil, climate and the health and safety of millions of New Yorkers.

If your town has not yet passed a resolution to push New York State to reduce harmful air pollution from these facilities, get busy and help them!

Ellen Weininger
Director, Educational Outreach
Grassroots Environmental Education