Albany – More than 3,500 New Yorkers submitted a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo
requesting that his administration reject two fossil fuel infrastructure proposals that could turn Albany into “Oilbany,” making the capital city a global focal point of transshipped crude oil.
These projects – the
Pilgrim Pipelines and Global Companies LLC’s desired expansion of the
oil heating facility at the Port of Albany – would jeopardize small
communities and waterways, harm our climate, and
further compromise air quality, putting residents of communities like
the South End of Albany in harm’s way.
The letter reads, in part,
“An oil heating facility at the Port of Albany and the Pilgrim Pipelines
both serve one purpose: moving crude oil through our communities and
off to the global market as quickly as possible. The weight of these two
proposals cannot be ignored, as the pipelines
and the port are part of a grand scheme we can easily call
“Oilbany.” Simply put, approval would stake the state capital's role as a
global oil shipping hub for years to come.”
The continued
build-out of New York’s fossil fuel infrastructure would also render it
nearly impossible for Governor Cuomo to achieve his climate and clean
energy goals, which include generating half of New
York’s electricity from clean, renewable sources by 2030, and ending
the use of fossil fuels entirely in less than 33 years.
Conor Bambrick, air & energy director at
Environmental Advocates of New York
said, “Governor Cuomo has the opportunity to establish New York as a
clean energy hub – something taking on even greater importance due to
reckless decisions we are witnessing from the Trump
Administration. Allowing Big Oil to build-out more fossil fuel
infrastructure would be a step backwards, lining up with the Trump
doctrine. These projects are dangerous to their core. They hurt people
and communities. We strongly encourage Governor Cuomo to
build upon his promise of a New York that is fossil fuel-free by
rejecting all plans to turn Albany into Oilbany.”
Dr. Dorcey Applyrs,
Albany Common Councilmember for the First Ward said, “Residents in
Albany's South End have been
fighting for their right to breathe clean air. Pollution from oil
transport, vehicle traffic and other sources continue to have a negative
impact on the community's health. For example, asthma rates are the
highest among children and adults that call the South
End home, compared to other parts of the city and state. The long-term
health impacts have not been studied and are unknown. In a unified
voice, we say NO to additional oil related projects that compound the
environmental injustices experienced by our community.”
Dominick Calsolaro, former Albany Common Councilmember, and member of People of Albany United for Safe Energy (PAUSE)
said, “The Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) will soon be conducting a year-long air quality study in Albany's
South End, including measuring benzene levels in the vicinity of both
Global's facility and the Port. A resident-initiated health survey
showed that almost half of the households in the
Ezra Prentice Homes have at least one person suffering from asthma. So,
it would be foolish for New York State to allow Global to construct an
oil heating facility to make it easier for them to transload the
filthiest petroleum product available, Alberta tar
sands oil. Furthermore, it would be an outright affront to the
residents of Ezra for the State to approve the Pilgrim Pipelines,
leading to an increase in the amount of crude oil coming through the
Port that is already negatively affecting the health of this
Environmental Injustice community. It is past time to put people above
profits.”
The proposed
Pilgrim Pipelines
would likely carry Bakken shale crude oil 170 miles from Albany to New
Jersey, and refined products would return, traversing more than 200
state-regulated waterbodies and crossing the
Hudson River twice. Bakken crude has already flowed through Albany in
bomb trains and is particularly volatile, and will put communities and
water at direct risk. The project is currently under environmental
review by the DEC following determination of several
environmental impacts.
The expansion of the
oil heating facility at the Port of Albany would facilitate the
transport of the dirtiest and most climate-intensive fossil fuels on the
planet – Canadian tar sands oil – on the Hudson River. Tar sands oil is
heavier than common crude, making it virtually
impossible to clean up if it spills into a waterbody. The expansion
would also increase dangerous oil train traffic through New York State.
An environmental review remains ongoing after a controversial 2013
ruling by the DEC that initially deemed the project
to have “no” negative environmental impacts – a ruling reversed in
2015.
In light of the
Trump Administration’s devastating federal climate rollbacks, including
dismantling the Clean Power Plan, approving the Keystone XL and Dakota
Access Pipeline projects, and proposing staggering
cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is now up to
states like New York to protect the environment and public health.
Governor Cuomo’s ambitious goal of generating half of the state’s energy
from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2030
is a significant step towards a cleaner future, and cannot be
accomplished by furthering fossil fuel infrastructure in New York.
Source: Environmental Advocates of New York
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