BillHustonBlog: Dominion New Market Project -- Messaging & Comment Ideas

This is going to a few friends.

Please help get the word out

and share this. --

This hearing is just 3 days from now!!

WHEN: Wednesday Oct 8 2014 -- 7pm,
Probably a Rally and Press Conference at 6pm

Small Room! Get there early.

WHERE: Town Hall., 995 State Route 26,
Georgetown, NY 13072 (Madison County)

WHAT: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) Public Hearing on

The Dominion New Market project
Docket CP14-497

will bring 112,000 Dekatherms per day
of Radon-Laced Fracked Gas

to New York customers.

112,000 Dekatherms is equivalent energy
to about 30 kilotons of TNT,
or about 2 Hiroshima bombs.

Sound good to you?

Get this--
The Dominion New Market project

is 33,000 HP additional compression

into a 50+ y/o pipe,
which probably has defective welds (*).

Heck, What could go wrong?

Sissonville WV (20' pipe) was similar pipe. Oops.

FERC the permitting agency

is not only funded by industry,
they violate US Law (**) a dozen ways.

FERC does not consider upstream impacts,
like fracking (violates NEPA)
FERC does not consider downstream impact
like radon (violates NEPA)
FERC does not consider cumulative impacts
(violates NEPA)

FERC Commissioners: Rogue's Gallery

But it's EVEN WORSE!!

The FERC Commissioners
are defying orders of a Three Judge Panel of Federal Judges,
by continuing to segment projects in violation of NEPA (++).

example 1: • Algonquin AIM • Atlantic Bridge, • Access NE
example 2: • Constitution Pipeline • Wright Interconnect, • K-M TGP NED, • Iroquios SoNo
example 3: • Minisink Compressor • CPV Valley Power Plant, • Hancock Compressor
example 4: • Cove Point LNG, • Williams/Transco Atlantic Sunrise

There are dozens of such segmented projects.

In fact ALL of these projects are interconnected.

If FERC were SANE they would be doing
cumulative impacts analysesof the sum of these.

People have been demanding thisin dozens of different FERC dockets!

NEPA (the Law) REQUIRES this analysis!

Are you OK with FERC:

Segmenting Projects?

Violating Federal Law?

and Defying the Courts?

Oh, one more thing--

This project produces over 200,000 tons
of carbon emissions per year.

Got that GAS MASK working?

Maybe want to get one of these?

The EPA is calls New Construction Projects
over 100,000 tons per year a Major Source of Emissions

and subject to PSD and Title V Permitting.

EPA Tailoring Rule Fact Sheet

But! The Dominion New Market Project
is NOT considered a major source, because...

I dunno...!

Because it's three facilities, not one maybe?

That makes sense, right?

Sense of scale--

200,000 tons is like 20 miles of train cars

loaded with coal, into the air every year.

Can you imagine a COAL TRAIN 20 miles long?

Imagine what this fallout
could do to local agriculture...?

Imagine with this will do to the AIR WE BREATHE!

"Would you like some LOCAL TOMATOES, Corn, and Wheat with your Soot and Chemicals?"

Please come if you can.

FERC is fast tracking this project,

using what's been called an illegal Fast Track process (%%)

where FERC Pre-Decides

to skip a full Environmental Impact Statement
BEFORE environmental scoping begins!

(i.e., before they have all the facts)

They don't even hide the fact they are doing this.
Check the FERC Flowchart:
https://www.ferc.gov/help/processes/flow/gas-2.asp

You OK w/FERC
skipping legal requirements?

FERC routinely looks the other way
when their applicants build jurisdictional facilities

(like the Williams Central Station or the Windsor Dunbar Compressor)

WITHOUT a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity,
IN VIOLATION of the Natural Gas Act.

FERC looks the other way while massive facilites are constructed
WITHOUT PERMIT in violation of the Natural Gas Act.
These facilities are a NUISANCE wherever they are built.

To be exact: these are NON JURISDICTIONAL "Gathering-line systems"

according to a loophole in the law
-- written by--

...drum roll...

the American Petroleum Institute!

The API wrote the loophole!! HAR HAR!
The Architect is Pleased

Think I'm kidding?

It's called the API-RP80, which is
incorporated by reference into the regulations.

SEE FOR YOURSELF!
49 CFR 192.8

Am I freaking you out yet?

OK! Time for some humor!
Here's a cute video
about a very serious problem:

FERC Rubber Stamp Song

The Rubber Stamp Song (video)

OK back to the real-life horror show:
Sorry, I wish this were a Halloween Prank!

The Natural Gas Act (Federal Law) says
if an applicant is unfit to run the facility safely--

if they violate laws and defy regulations, then

"...such application shall be denied"

-- Read It! 15 U.S. Code § 717f(e)

So why do they keep issuing permits
to Williams Companies?
RECAP -- Williams Safety and Compliance Record:

Um...

Because FERC is a ROGUE agency
which defies the courts and the Federal Law, maybe?

"Williams Partners -- A proven leader-- in Industrial Accidents!"

Does it sound OK to you

for FERC to continue to issue permits

to companies with horrible Safety and Compliance Records

in violation of the Natural Gas Act?

Show of Hands?

Oh, did I tell you that FERC and Dominion
are Conspiring to HideSO MUCH critical safety information
... like MAOP, heat, operating pressure, physical parameters
about the exsiting pipe, inspection records, Cathodic Protection history,

and on and on...

-- that it is impossible to determine
WHO in the path lives in a High Consequence Area?

A 30 min video on these topics

A SHORT 6 minute video

More videos!

Here's an essential fact sheet
on the Dominion New Market Project:

http://nyfriendsofcleanairandwater.blogspot.com/2014/10/fact-sheet-for-dominion-new-market.html

(corrected link to the proper docket)

I hope to see some of you on Wednesday!

Reminder that the Federal Courts are mostly not on our side.

There is generally agreed
no cause for relief PRIOR to FERC issuing a permit.

But then it's too late!We've seen this so many times...

in re., Minisink, Spectra, and the TGP cases---
These were all built while tied up in the courts.

In all of these cases, the projects were built
and are Now in Service.

BOTTOM LINE:
It is almost USELESS to seek remedy in the courts.

Recap of some recent decisions of the Federal Courts:

No Gas Pipeline v. FERC (NJ-NY Spectra Pipeline case) 12-1470

Summary: FERC can wildly violate NEPA and the Natural Gas Act
and other laws, but this alone does not denote a cause of action
or granting a petition to review.

No group of citizens or intervenors can petition the courts
for review unless there is proven injury.

People who fear Radon Gas exposure
do not have legal standing
...until they are sick or dead.

Minisink Residents et. al. v. FERC, 12-1481

Summary: No one wants a stinky, loud, obnoxious compressor
in the neighborhood! WHO WOULD?
But Minisink Residents should SUCK IT UP
and STOP WHINING and be GROWN-UPS
for the greater good of corporate profits and exports to factories in China.

(slightly paraphrased)

PS: the judge who wrote the decision
made between $5,000 to $15,000 in dividend income
from a fund which has $1.7 Billion invested
in Fracked Gas and Pipeline Companies!!

I could not invent such a story, friends!!
CHECK MY FACTS