John Miglietta & Lynn Fischeer-Miglietta, Meredith, NY.


Re: Legality of re-submission of application by the Constitution Pipeline Company. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the underlying Agency orders around this project, and it seems substantially clear that the applicants cannot rely on orders that no longer exist in their re-application. FERC must resolve this legal problem before any more work is done on the application!

If the application is accepted, there is a clear need for an IES, not an EA, since the volume of environmental harms outlined in the previous IES have not lessened, and may have expanded. If, as FERC explains that 91% of the project will NOT parallel existing pipeline, utility or road rights-of-way, the encroachment on private land and town and county roads, etc., would be enormous. Thus, the only way to protect the public from potential harms is to produce a full IES with opportunity for thorough consideration and comment by the affected public.

It is our understanding that the Wright Interconnect already has sufficient gas to handle demand, and this proposed project would not lower utility costs for the general public in the affected area, or New England or New York City. FERC must produce a document that lays out the true necessity for the project.

As landowners, we are very concerned about the quality of the water table and our wells. FERC must not allow the pipeline company to bypass the DEC’s role in issuing a 401 WOC water quality certification, which it appears to be attempting to do. We need to be thoroughly informed by FERC about what is going on about this step of the process. 

FERC must do a study of how the pipeline will affect the local economy and the quality of life of residents impacted by the project.