Letter to the Editor No Representation on Pipelines

Dear Editor,

HERE WE GO AGAIN! Another big gas company is starting the process that will eventually lead to eminent domain. They plan to bury another gas pipeline on our properties, using a separate easement. Any landowner who doesn't want this intrusion and injustice will have no say and not one elected official (PETE LOPEZ) will speak up or try to help. I think what constitution pipeline has already done to the families and landowners that have refused to just hand over their land is nothing short of a criminal act. Now we get to go through the same nightmare and it will end no differently. This second larceny will start next month as the land thieves will hold public meetings. Their spokesman who is sometimes called a communications specialist will spread the usual line of bull, sounding much like a politician. Some of the talking points will be job creation and the large amount of taxes they will be paying. All of this touted as a great benefit to the surrounding areas. The truth is not one permanent job will be created and our taxes will continue to rise regardless of what these companies pay. On top of that we don't even get the benefit of using the gas that is being transported through our county. Next step for the land thieves will be to start throwing money around via grants. They have to show the public how community friendly they are and how much they care. It reminds me of a mobster walking into a room and handing out 50 dollar bills to everybody from the bartender to the bathroom attendant. He doesn't care about anyone he's just buying them off all for his benefit. It won't take long to spend that dirty 50 dollars. Another step for the land thieves, while all of this is going on they will be using the U.S. Postal Service to continually bombard the landowners with mailings. Pretty color pictures will arrive. Some showing one of their communication specialists handing a check to some organization of course everyone is  smiling and why not we all like free money. Other pretty pictures will show how everything looks with the pipe buried in the ground. Beautiful green grass always well manicured, looks like a fairway on your favorite golf course  I would like to see the picture of what was there before they cut, bulldozed, dynamited and dug. Show me the picture of what was there before they destroyed and killed every living thing in their path. They will come right in to first steal our land then destroy it and it will be easy. They'll get no resistance from elected officials (James Seward) . So as the landowners start to get up and dust themselves off from the beaten they just took. Here comes the second bully who will use the same tactics to rough us up once again. I expect most will take the beaten and not say or do much. Finally when the dust settles after the second larceny and Schoharie County becomes an interstate for pipelines. I have to ask are we better off with these pipes running through our county?  The county is already littered with real estate signs. People trying to sell their homes and flee this area and most leaving the state. Who is going to want to buy a house with pipelines on the property? I know I wouldn't.

Regards,

Jerry Fiore