County Commission Nixes Wright Gas Project, Pending Study

The Schoharie County Planning Commission, which met this past Monday, voted unanimously to both call the Town of Wright Planning Board's referral (in regards to Iroquois' proposed Interconnect Project that would receive and distribute Natural Gas as a cornerstone of the Constitution Pipeline) "incomplete because of the incongruity of the environmental review," and to send the matter back to them with a suggestion that they resubmit after such review has been completed.

Iroquois' is seeking approval to expand the already existing Wright Compressor Station as part of the framework for the proposed Constitution Pipeline, but has yet to provide either the Town or County planning boards with a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission environmental impact statement that is required to move forward.

Peter Shulman, who serves as Chairman of both the Commission and the Town of Fulton Planning Board, said that he "believes the Schoharie County Planning Commission acted correctly" in their 10-0 decision on Monday evening.

There is considerable local opposition to both the proposed Constitution Pipeline and the Iroquois' Wright Interconnect Project, some of which was apparent at a public community meeting in the Town of Richmondville - also last Monday - where the Center for Sustainable Rural Communities presented information questioning the necessity of either project in Schoharie County.

However, because of the Wright Compressor Station's existence, any and all expansion of that project is reliant upon the aforementioned Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's "exclusive jurisdiction" over the process, something that concerns local activists. Worries that stem from the fact only half of county residents offered easements by Constitution Pipeline have accepted, an indication of serious and strong opposition to its construction.