Press Releases

Dear Friends and Supporters:
It’s indeed been a dizzying few weeks since the NYSDEC denied the permit for the Valley Lateral Pipeline and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission overturned it by declaring DEC’s jurisdiction over the pipeline waived. Some environmental groups who have not been part of this fight wrongly informed you that CPV was denied and that we won.  This is absolutely not the case. Construction is actively under way.  Millennium and CPV are more emboldened than ever.  We encourage you to join Protect Orange County’s facebook page for accurate updates and information on this project. We cannot afford any mistakes. This is a complicated chess game with many players but we, the people,  must win.
When DEC’s denial was issued we recognized that it marked a turning point but was far from a victory, so we were cautious in our statements. We decided to ascertain what is really happening before letting people know what the next steps should be.  From the beginning this was a project that was decided behind closed doors and there still seems to be a lot of political influence at play. The industry sees this project as critical for the fracking enterprisePoliticians and regulatory agencies are seeking political cover. NGO’s are concerned about the legal precedence this could set. Everyone one has their own concerns, but Protect Orange County’s number one priority is making sure that CPV and all of its related components are stopped. This includes the Valley Lateral Pipeline (VLP) and the Eastern System Upgrade (ESU), both illegally segmented from the CPV review. Nothing less is a win!!. Nothing less can protect our children’s future.
What now hangs in the balance are the health and safety, air and water of hundreds of thousands of residents in Orange and Sullivan Counties; our rare and rich Blackdirt farms;  the ecologically sensitive Wallkill River Watershed a critical part of the Hudson River Watershed; and most important the stability of the atmosphere.
Despite all these players and agendas, we have three important resources on our side; the law, the science, and people power. it is important know that the biggest factor is people power. You are the reason DEC denied the permit. Your calls, tweets, emails, letters, petitions, protests, and 6000 substantive comments are the reason DEC denied the permit.   And now we need you to demand that DEC defend that denial!!.  
We are up against two of the biggest companies in the country Transcanada (owner of Millennium) and GE (owner of CPV).  No one listened to the alarm sounded by the Moms of Minisink so Mother Nature stepped in to amplify our voice.  Her children Harvey, Irma, and Marie are telling us what we must do. We must act now! New Yorkers must draw our own #RedlineResistance through CPV.
Below are two articles that describe the political and legal quagmire in more detail for those interested but here’s what we need you to do today and every spare moment you can.
1-While Governor Cuomo has spent the week invoking the Paris Agreement, he has not uttered a word about CPV and FERC’s waiver on VLP. Call him and tell him that he must defend state’s rights and that he must be a true climate leader.  He can do this with a stroke of the pen by pulling the plug on CPV and rescinding all of its state’s permits. Remind him that VLP is for CPV which is a state approved project that NYS has complete jurisdiction over. Call him at 518-474-8390 Tweet @NYGovCuomo and email through his website.
 
2-The Eastern System Upgrade is a critical component of the the CPV project. Without it Millennium has a bottleneck in its system and they’ve known it since Minisink. Moreover, even Eastern System Upgrade is overbuilding according an expert engineer’s report. While NYSDEC denied the VLP permit on the grounds of failure by FERC to study greenhouse gas emissions, they approved ESU which has the same failure. In fact, ESU would transport 70% more gas than VLP. So it makes no sense to demand a GHG study for one and not the other. In fact, this inconsistency weakens DEC’s case on VLP which will likely now go to court.  So we must demand that DEC and Cuomo be consistent and rescind the permits for ESU on the same grounds as VLP.  Moreover in approving ESU DEC ignored impacts to the Neversink River a critical part of the Delaware River Watershed. It is fully within DEC’s authority and in fact, even conservative West Virginia recently rescinded a water permit for a gas pipeline.  So we urge you to call NYSDEC and Commissioner Basil Seggos and demand they rescind the permits for ESU. Also please sign and share this important petition demanding the same. It has less than 500 signatures so we really need you to help promote this.
3-Although this will likely go to court at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington D.C. unless DEC seeks a “stay” construction could proceed. Critical wetlands and endangered species habitat would be destroyed, private property would be seized by eminent domain, and the CPV Power plant would have what it needs to become operational.  Call both NYSDEC and Attorney General Eric Schniederman and demand that they vigorouslydefend the DEC denial and most important seek a “Stay of construction”.  Millennium will be filing for a Notice to Proceed with FERC any day. Remind them of the 6000 comments and their duty to protect NY water. NY can and must use their police powers if its has to!
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES/EVENTS
Oral Arguments for CPV state caseTuesday October 10th at 10am. Rockland County Courthouse 1 South Main Street New City, N.Y.Oral arguments will finally be held on the issues raised in our challenge to the Town Planning Boards’s approval of the CPV Power Plant. We are represented by Michael Sussman in this case.
For Orange County Residents: Orange County Legislature will Vote on Resolutions on CPV project: Thursday October 5th 7PM Emergency Service Auditorium 22 Wells Farm Rd, Goshen NY. We submitted a resolution to urge the state to suspend this project. In response both Republicans and Democrats have put forth their own alternate resolutions. Please come to this meeting and demand that the legislature halt this project.
FINALLY
Please keep sharing our petition that continues to demand that Cuomo Pull the Plug on CPV.  Please go to ProtectOrangeCounty.org to support our work. PLEASE DONATE, if you can. We are an entirely all volunteer grassroots group of moms and dads fighting to protect our shared environment and future. We have been self-funding his fight, but this is our final battle. We will now have to challenge FERC and Millennium if a Notice to Proceed is issued and ensure that the public interest is represented.
FB ProtectOrangeCounty
Twitter: @ProtectOrangeCo @Stop_CPV @SCRAMNY @PramillaSMalick @Jamesocromwell

HARM NOT IMMINENT SAYS JUDGE IN WAY-6 CLIMATE DISOBEDIENCE CASE: James Cromwell Vows to Take Jail Time

After delivering 10,000 Pages of Documents to U.S. Attorney RE: Federal Probe of Gas Project, Residents ask Cuomo to Shut It Down May 6 2016

PRESS CONFERENCES MAY 4th NYC and MAY 5th ALBANY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                   

Contact:          Pramilla Malick  stopmcs@gmail.com  646-498-1742 

Or                    Nadine Raia nrdesiderio@mac.com917-648-3908 

 STATEMENT OF PROTECT ORANGE COUNTY ON FEDERAL PROBE

OF COMPETITIVE POWER VENTURES, CPV

 

Slate Hill N.Y.- The residents of Orange County have long been calling for a federal investigation into the numerous irregularities in the approval process for the CPV Valley Power Plant and related Minisink Compressor Station. (This 650 MW fracked-gas power plant is now under construction in Orange County, N.Y.) We applaud the launch of this probe and hope it serves to explain these irregularities and restore the integrity of the review process.   When corporate manipulation of government compromises the environmental review process for projects with potential health and safety implications, the consequences can be catastrophic.

We knew from the beginning that something was very wrong when a small local town Planning Board was allowed by the state to assume lead agency status for the environmental review of the $900 million CPV power plant project.  An undertaking of this magnitude could adversely impact dozens of townships, hundreds of thousands of residents, and resources of statewide significance.  Over a lengthy near 10-year approval process, numerous substantive issues were systematically and repeatedly ignored under the watch of multiple regulatory agencies and elected officials, who are responsible to protect public health and safety, as well as our environment. We are grateful to Congressman Dennis Kucinich for coming to Orange County and publicly calling for a Federal investigation earlier this year.

Since last year, Protect Orange County’s citizen  letter writing campaign has implored Governor Cuomo to suspend the permits for this ill-conceived project and launch his own investigation into the matter.   While the announcement that his office has now suspended regulatory dealings with CPV is welcome news, all permits have already been issued for this project and construction has begun.  Indeed, much damage has already been done; historic sites, protected farmland, wetlands, and endangered species habitat have been recklessly destroyed. The human costs to the community already living with what we believe is a related project, the Minisink Compressor Station, is even more alarming.  At this point, the Governor must immediately rescind all state permits for this project and issue a Stop Work Order before the harm becomes irreparable. For too long we were lone voices in a regulatory wilderness of indifference and evasion. 

We urge U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara to cast as wide a net as possible and scrutinize every approval issued and every decision maker involved at every layer of government.  We must know whether any decision makers benefitted directly or indirectly from these approvals.  A thorough and complete investigation is critical to protect public health and safety we well as restore public confidence in our state government.

Residents Impacted by this project will soon hold a press conference in front of Preet Bharara’s office after presenting documentation on some of these irregularities.  Date and time TBA. Information will be posted on our website protectorangecounty.org