Stop the proposed gas compressor station in Nassau, NY

Kinder Morgan is proposing a new high pressure natural gas pipeline from Wright, NY to Dracut, MA. This pipeline will create the risk of chemical leaks and explosions that would contaminate our soil, water, air, damage our properties, and create hazards in our communities. Chemical off-gassing of known carcinogens, neurotoxins, and endocrine disrupters happens at compressor stations and drilling sites, wherever pipelines are leaking. In 2011 the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration cited Kinder Morgan for a number of safety violations.
The gas that will go through this pipeline will be extracted using hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as fracking) which is irrefutably linked to health problems because of the chemicals involved and the contamination to underground water supplies. In terms of natural gas and pollution, methane leaks from fracking, compressor stations, and transmission lines create more pollution than coal or oil.
We are specifically concerned about the proposed gas compressor station that would be located in the Town of Nassau, NY. It would cover 40 acres and add light and noise pollution comparable to a commercial jet taking off all hours of the day and night.
Although Kinder Morgan has stated this pipeline is necessary to keep prices down and provide a bridge between older fossil fuels and future renewables, mounting evidence strongly suggests this is not true. Both the Kinder Morgan website and their project pre-application letter state that some of the gas from this pipeline will be exported. Exporting can raise our fuel prices, as was observed in winter 2014 when propane was sold overseas and U.S prices soared.
We the undersigned citizens call upon your leadership to enact legislation and take such necessary actions to stop the Northeast Energy Direct Project (NED) because:
1. We do not feel that constituent concerns raised in regard to the NED are being answered honestly, fully, and accurately.
2. The profits of Kinder Morgan/Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company LLC are taking precedence over the immediate and long-term safety, security, and well-being of people living along the proposed pipeline route in the following ways:
a. There is no benefit of the project to New Yorkers or New York State.
b. We assume health and safety risks so the NED can generate profits for their companies.
c. The federal agency responsible for pipeline safety has inadequate resources to do its job. A report from the Transportation Department’s Office of the Inspector General indicates “The Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, isn't ensuring key state inspectors are properly trained, inspections are being conducted frequently enough and inspections target the most risky pipelines”.
d. Our property rights will be taken by eminent domain so that the companies can profit while we remain responsible for property tax payments.
e. Our public safety officers will be unable to adequately respond to pipeline explosions.
f. Our property values are likely to drastically fall.
g. Our areas economic viability is likely to drastically suffer.
h. We will not consume the gas, most of which is likely to be exported for the company’s profit, which in turn will drive up the cost of gas for us.
3. The NED will transmit up to 2.2 billion cubic feet of fracked gas daily, through a 30” pipeline, at a pressure of up to 1,460 pounds per square inch, and has the potential to leak toxins, carcinogens, and other hazardous chemicals that may contaminate our water wells, air, and soil. These include:
a. Methane – a greenhouse gas that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found contributes to global warming. Affected Organ Systems: Dermal, Pulmonary, and Cardiovascular.
b. Benzene – a colorless, sweet smelling, highly flammable chemical. It evaporates into the air very quickly and floats on top of water. Affected Organ Systems: Hematological, Immunological, and Neurological.
c. Toluene – a clear, colorless liquid with a distinctive smell. It is used in making paints, paint thinners, fingernail polish, lacquers, adhesives, and rubber. Affected Organ Systems: Cardiovascular and Neurological.
d. Sulfur Dioxide – a colorless gas with a pungent odor. It is a liquid when under pressure and dissolves in water very easily. Affected Organ Systems: Immunological and Respiratory.
e. Formaldehyde – a colorless flammable gas that has a distinct, pungent smell. It is used in the production of fertilizer, paper, plywood and urea-formaldehyde resins. Affected Organ Systems: Dermal, Gastrointestinal, Immunological, and Respiratory.
f. Nitrous Oxide – a colorless, non-flammable gas with a slightly sweet odor and taste. Commonly used in surgery or dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. Affected Organ Systems: Pulmonary and Cardiovascular.
4. Local elected officials of the Rensselaer County Legislature oppose the project, opposing use of eminent domain and requesting intervention by federal officials.

Therefore, we the undersigned, realizing the risks and costs to our families, our property values, our safety, our drinking water, our clean air, our roads, and the potential costs and stresses to our towns that will be created by the Kinder Morgan/Tennessee Gas Northeast Energy Direct Pipeline Project – which will be using fracked shale gas – do hereby state that it is our desire for our federal, state, county, and town leaders to immediately and permanently declare on our behalf that no gas compressor stations or new or additional high pressure gas pipelines of any kind shall be placed within the boundaries of our towns. Although NYS has banned fracking, allowing the pipeline and compressor stations to be built will result in the same amount of damage the legislation was designed to prevent.