Cuomo Denies Permit for Northern Access Pipeline.
More than 400 people came to Albany, New York on April 5, 2016 to urge the Cuomo administration to reject shale gas projects in New York state.
Photo credit: Erik McGregor New York State blocked the Northern Access Project on March 7, a pipeline that would have carried fracked gas from Pennsylvania to Canada via New York.
This is a huge victory not just for New Yorkers but for the entire planet.
Without 401 certification, the natural gas pipeline cannot go forward within the state.
The pipeline would have directly harmed 192 streams, 600 acres of forests and more than 17 acres of wetlands in the state and would have crossed one sole source aquifer—the Cattaraugus Creek Basin Aquifer System—the sole source of drinking water for 20,000 residents in Cattaraugus, Erie and Wyoming counties in New York.
DEC’s decision to deny 401 certification for the pipeline is not the first time that Gov.
Cuomo has taken bold action to protect the environment.
In 2015, New York State was the first state with natural gas resources to ban fracking in the U.S. and in 2016, the State denied a 401 certification to Constitution pipeline, another natural gas pipeline that could have significantly harmed state water quality.
We commend Gov.Cuomo and Commissioner Seggos’ decision to stop this pipeline from moving forward.