NO NORTHERN ACCESS PIPELINE
Say No to National Fuel’s NEW Request for Extension of Time
YOUR COMMENT will help put an end to this once and for all!!
TIME’S UP! ENOUGH is ENOUGH!
Here’s everything you need – feel free to comment more than once with different ideas. February 16, 2022 Deadline for Comments
Find Suggested Comment Topics Here – choose the points you wish to express, personalize it with your own wording and additions.
Find Directions for Filing FERC Comment Here – There are a couple steps to the process, if you run into difficulty call FERC’s Office of Public Participation 202-502-6595. If you have commented previously skip the registration step and instead go to step 4 and log in.
National Fuel has applied AGAIN! to FERC, requesting 3 more years, until December 2024, to start and complete the Northern Access 2016 Pipeline Project. It appears they have not even notified those most impacted, the landowners, along the 97 mile route of the pipeline of this request and comment period.
DENIAL OF THE TIME EXTENSION WOULD MEAN THE END OF THIS PIPELINE! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Documents: National Fuel Request for Time Extension
FERC Notice of Request for Time Extension and Comment Period
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation said NO to NAPL, yet National Fuel Gas Co. refuses to take NO for an answer.
NO NORTHERN ACCESS PIPELINE
UPDATE: NYSDEC did the right thing on April 7th 2017, when they denied the 401 Water Certification for the project. Now the sad news is, that in August 2018 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) overturned NYSDEC’s decision by falsely claiming that NYSDEC did not act in time with their denial. NYSDEC and the Sierra Club are fighting this FERC ruling…here we go again! In the meantime, National Fuel stands ready to plow ahead with this project ignoring NYSDEC’s carefully researched and considered environmental concerns especially regarding the 192 stream crossings. National Fuel is also now moving ahead against the will of the people who do not want to give up rights to their land by pursuing eminent domain cases against landowners. One couple who won their case on appeal, is now being challenged and taken to court by National Fuel for the THIRD time. National Fuel has also recently filed with FERC, requesting a three year extension on the project with a projected completion date in 2022.
Update February 2019:
- The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated the NYSDEC’s Denial of the 401 Water Certification. The COURT RULING is saying that NYSDEC did not do a sufficient job in providing evidence to support their decision to deny the permit and keeps open the opportunity to come back to court with more evidence. TJ Pignataro does a good job of explaining the situation in this Buffalo News article.
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FERC granted National Fuel a three year extension on NAPL Significant in this ruling is the project timing: “Applicants now anticipate that they will have the federal authorizations necessary to file an initial notice to proceed in mid-2019. A three-year extension of time is necessary because Applicants do not anticipate commencement of Project construction until early 2021 due to New York’s continued legal actions and to time lines required for procurement of necessary pipe and compressor facility materials.”
So…we need YOU to stand with us as we continue this fight!
Find documents and more detailed information about Northern Access Here
Thank you all for Joining us to Rally at National Fuel Headquarters on a cold winter day, January 12, 2019!
We gathered to let National Fuel know that we have not gone away, we are in fact stronger than ever and now stretching from Niagara County to those impacted by fracking in PA. Thanks to Defend Ohi:yo’ for organizing!
Check out the news coverage:
Protest Against Northern Access Pipeline – WGRZ 2
Environmental Groups Protest National Fuel’s Northern Access – WIVB 4
Protesters Gather in WNY to Rally Against Northern Access Pipeline – WKBW 7
Protesters Rally Against National Fuel Pipeline – WBFO
Taking Aim at the Northern Access – Niagara Gazette
NY State Department of Environmental Conservation DENIED the necessary 401 Air and Water Certification on APRIL 7TH.
Thanks to all who joined our March 27th 2017 Albany Rally! Our Voices were Heard!
National Fuel is proposing to build 97 miles of pipeline to move fracked gas from the drilling fields of PA through our beloved Southern Tier crossing 180 streams, 270 wetlands and 7 ponds along the way. The proposed project includes a strongly opposed 22,214 HP compressor station in Pendleton, a 5,350 HP expansion of the Porterville compressor station, interconnection with Tennessee Gas Pipeline in the Town of Wales and a dehydration station in Wheatfield to prepare the gas for export under the Niagara River and into Canada. The dehydration facility would sit near railroad tracks surrounded by densely populated neighborhoods half a mile from the Niagara River and about a mile from Love Canal that is reported to be leaking again into residents homes.
Photo Credit: Niagara Frontier Publications
Follow the Financing of the Pipeline: view the Banking on National Fuel Map created by Rob Galbraith of the Public Accountability Initiative. Be sure to advance through the graphics to see the local banks involved in financing the Northern Access.
National Fuel Fracking for Dollars by Rob Galbraith Published in The Public Jan 4, 2017
IN THE NEWS:
Protest held in Buffalo against Northern Access Pipeline WIVB 4, Dec. 15, 2018
Landowners beat National Fuel in court to preserve piece of paradise Nov. 26, 2018 T.J. Pignataro, Buffalo News
Joseph Schueckler of Cuba overlooks the trees and hills at a 200-acre property he and friends first purchased in 1963 through which National Fuel Gas Corp. seeks an easement by eminent domain to construct its proposed Northern Access Pipeline. (T.J. Pignataro/Buffalo News)
Court reverses National Fuel eminent domain order WGRZ 2, Nov. 26, 2018
Court rules against National Fuel Gas’ Northern Access pipeline, Nov. 27, 2018
Federal ruling reopens door for controversial gas pipeline through WNY, August 7, 2018, by T. J. Pignataro, Buffalo News
Seneca Nation Speaks Out Against Pipeline
A viral video of a National Fuel pipeline leak in Franklinville, NY is incredible but National Fuel’s response is even worse. They knew about the leak for over a year but did nothing about it because it is in a rural area and they have bigger leaks to fix and getting service to new customers is a higher priority. A company that can’t take care of the leaks it has should not be trusted to build a new 97 mile pipeline. Read the Article in the Olean Times Herald.Thank you to the responsible hunter who posted the leak on youtube and got enough attention that National Fuel has reportedly fixed the leak to stop the phone calls – not because they decided to be responsible. (In the video he does incorrectly attribute the Dakota Access to National Fuel – that is Energy Transfer Partners)
Channel 7 WKBW coverage can be seen here: Gas pipeline repaired after year of leaking
Olean Times Herald: National Fuel Gas says gas leak shown in YouTube video repaired The leak was along a natural gas distribution line through part of Boyce Hill State Forest off Bryant Hill and Phillips roads in the town of Franklinville. “It’s out in the middle of nowhere,” said Merkel (National Fuel’s spokeswoman) of the leaks.
Visit these Groups on Facebook that are joining in solidarity to say NO Northern Access!
Pendleton Action Team
Wheatfield Action Team
WECAP
Niagara Sierra Club Niagara Group
Email niagarasierra@gmail.com with any questions
More Information:
For a map of the pipeline go HERE (if enlarged in your browser it will show more detail including roadways).
More information on the proposed project can be found at National Fuel.
This proposed Northern Access 2016 is part of a new report titled, A Bridge Too Far: How Appalachian Basin Gas Pipeline Expansion Will Undermine U.S. Climate Goals. This report documents the climate impacts of the massive proposed overbuild of natural gas pipelines. Reuters has done a story on the report: New gas pipelines would make U.S. miss climate target .
Highlights of the report include:
- There are 19 key new proposed natural gas pipelines in the Appalachian basin. All of them are incompatible with the Paris target and existing U.S. climate goals;
- Stopping this new supply infrastructure is critical to the keep it in the ground movement’s goals of stopping infrastructure that creates carbon lock-in; and
- All new energy projects must pass a climate test to prove their viability in a climate safe world. These new gas pipelines fail that test.
Check News coverage for our Solidarity Rally & Press Conference Friday 9/30
Sierra Club Niagara Group 