Referred to: The Energy and Environment Committee (Chairman Loughran and

Legislators Parete, Rodriguez, Ronk, and Wawro)

Legislator Manna Jo Greene and Legislators Rodriguez and Wawro offer the

following:

WHEREAS, Pilgrim Pipeline Company is proposing to build a bi-directional

pipeline through Ulster County that would transport crude oil and refined petroleum

products between Albany, New York and Linden, New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, the pipeline will carry oil from the Bakken Shale region of North

Dakota extracted through a process of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” which has

been found to contaminate clean water resources, create toxic air emissions and

radioactive waste, and release large quantities of methane gas into the atmosphere;

and

WHEREAS, data collected by the Capline Pipeline in Louisiana, which tested

crude from 86 locations worldwide, indicates that crude oil from Bakken Shale has a

far higher vapor pressure than crude from dozens of other locations, making it much

more likely to throw off combustible gases; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous

Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a safety alert on January 2, 2014,

to the general public, emergency first responders, and shippers and carriers regarding

the particular flammability of Bakken crude oil; and

WHEREAS, the Pipeline will carry a large volume of Bakken crude oil

through residential areas in Ulster County, which will place residents in harm’s way

should an explosion or spill occur; and

WHEREAS, according to PHMSA, pipeline operators reported 1,880 crude oil

spills nationwide between 2003 and 2013, or nearly one spill every other day,

resulting in over 44 million gallons of oil being spilled; and

WHEREAS, 80 percent of these spills were the result of corrosion, equipment

failure, incorrect operation or material and weld failures; and

WHEREAS, according to Public Employees for Environmental

Responsibility, PHMSA only has 135 inspectors to oversee 2.6 million miles of

pipeline, and only a fifth of that pipeline system has been inspected by PHMSA or its

state partners since 2006; and

WHEREAS, any rupture or compromise of the Pipeline, even without an

explosion or fire, will require extraordinary cleanup efforts, could force residents

from their homes, and place a large number of residents in close proximity to

hazardous materials; and

WHEREAS, many Ulster County residents depend on ground water and

public community water systems for potable water supplies, the integrity and safety

of which may be jeopardized by the Pipeline; and

WHEREAS, the Pilgrim Pipeline is proposed to be laid in areas containing

sensitive aquifers upon which residents depend for drinking water; and

WHEREAS, t

RESOLVED, that the Ulster County Legislature also calls for a full

environmental review of the project and its myriad potential environmental and

climate-related impacts, as required by the State Environmental Quality Review Act

and National Environmental Protection Act, and that a complete and comprehensive

Environmental Impact Statement be undertaken, with full opportunity for

participation by local governments, other involved and interested agencies and the

public; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the Clerk of the Ulster County Legislature shall forward

copies of this resolution to the NYS Thruway Authority Acting Chair Donna J. Luh,

NYS DOT Commissioner Joan McDonald, U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and

Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson, Governor Andrew Cuomo, N.Y.

Public Service Commission Chairwoman Audrey Zibelman, Assembly Member

Kevin Cahill, Senator John Bonacic, and NYS DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens,

and move its adoption.

 ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

 AYES: 22 NOES: 1

 (Noes: Legislator Gerentine)

Passed Committee: Energy and Environment on February 4, 2015

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE

Legislator Ronk motioned, seconded by Legislator Maio, to refer the resolution back

to the Energy and Environment Committee.

MOTION DEFEATED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES: 8 NOES: 15

(Ayes: Legislators Fabiano, Gerentine, Litts, Lopez,

Maio, Maloney, Roberts, and Ronk) 

STATE OF NEW YORK

 ss:

COUNTY OF ULSTER

I, the undersigned Clerk of the Legislature of the County of Ulster, hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is

the original resolution adopted by the Ulster County Legislature on the 17th Day of February in the year Two Thousand and

Fifteen, and said resolution shall remain on file in the office of said clerk.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of the County of Ulster this 20th Day of

February in the year Two Thousand and Fifteen.

|s| Victoria A. Fabella

Victoria A. Fabella, Clerk

Ulster County Legislature