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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , February 8 , 2017
Protesters march to Global Partners fuel terminal
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Albany and Linden , New Jersey . A significant portion of the pipeline would travel alongside the New York State Thruway .
Dozens of municipalities along the pipeline ’ s path have formally opposed its construction . Municipalities including the Town of New Windsor , the Town of Newburgh and the City of Newburgh have expressed concerns over the pipeline ’ s potential impact on property values and water supplies , among other issues . The public will have an opportunity to provide comments during the project ’ s scoping process , expected to begin sometime this year .
“ There are bomb trains going up and down the Hudson River on a daily basis ,” said Orange Residents Against Pilgrim Pipelines chair Sandra Kissam , at an anti-pipeline meeting held at The Wherehouse bar and restaurant on Liberty Street last week .
Kissam was referring to trains carrying refinedpetroleum products such as kerosene and diesel fuel , as well as flammable Bakken crude oil , currently transported along the local CSX rail line and planned for transport along the pipeline .
Kissam pointed to Lac-Mégantic , in Canada ’ s Quebec Province , as an example of the explosive danger of Bakken crude . A derailment of a train carrying Bakken crude oil through the town led to an explosion that killed 47 people and destroyed 30 buildings in 2013 .
“ None of our first responders have been given any special equipment to fight an explosion if it occurs ,” Kissam said .
She noted the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion and a proposed plan to establish anchorage points along the Hudson River to anchor ships and barges , many carrying oil products , as other examples of the fuel industry ’ s tightening grip on the region .
Kissam described the Trump Administration ’ s stance on the fuel industry as an added “ threat ” to the environment . “ He said the oil and gas industry is under too much restraint ,” she said , pointing to the administration ’ s support of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the confirmation of Exxon Mobil ’ s former CEO Rex Tillerson as U . S . secretary of state .
Shooting on Broadway , suspect taken into custody
Bob McCormick
A 39-year-old Newburgh man was shot in the back late Friday morning and within minutes , police nabbed another Newburgh man , believed to be the shooter . James Beckwith , 69 , was charged with armed assault and possession of a weapon , both felonies , after he was stopped driving in the area of Mill and Ann streets by Orange County Sheriff ’ s deputies , who were driving in the area . The victim of the shooting in the area of Broadway and City Terrace was taken to St . Luke ’ s Cornwall Hospital ’ s Newburgh campus with a non-life threatening wound . Police recovered a black . 38 caliber revolver from Beckwith ’ s vehicle believed to be the weapon used in the assault .
If built , the Pilgrim Pipeline would include lateral lines leading from the main line to the Hudson River . Two are slated in the immediate region : one heading east to Danskammer Point and the Danskammer Generating Station ; another would snake along the Newburgh-New Windsor border , close to the Quassaick Creek , to Global ’ s fuel terminal where the fuel could be put onto barges .
From their boats in the river , said Center for Algonquin Culture founder Evan Pritchard , “ the early Dutch would see ceremonial fires on the rock ” at Danskammer Point . “ They called it the Devil ’ s Dance Chamber ,” he said , “ Danskammer ” meaning dance chamber in Dutch .
“ History is all around you ,” Pritchard said , speaking at the Wherehouse meeting . “ When people make sudden , destructive moves , you can ’ t take it back .”
Kissam urged residents to continue to attend public meetings and demonstrations on the pipeline , to contact the companies funding pipeline projects and to write to Governor Andrew Cuomo and other government officials to express opposition . “ You ’ ve got to get out there , people ,” she said .
Beaver Dam Lake
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priority to homes with shallow wells along the shoreline . “ We know that a lot of these homes are older , they may have shallow wells ,” said Kuehner , as many were built before WWII .
A shallow well is considered to be about 30 feet or less , she said . “ Generally , the deeper wells are , the more protective they are ... but you have to have a good seal at the surface ,” Kuehner said .
The lake itself is used recreationally and not for drinking water . Last year , lab results revealed lake concentrations of 41 parts per trillion of Perfluorooctane sulfonate ( PFOS ) and 11 parts per trillion of Perfluorooctanoic acid ( PFOA ). Both of these chemicals are PFCs .
George Heitzman heads the DEC team in charge of investigating PFC contamination coming from Stewart International Airport . “ We traced that contamination to sources primarily on the Air National Guard Base ,” he said at the meeting Monday .
The PFC pollution at the air base has led to the contamination of nearby wells and the City of Newburgh water supply . The state has provided carbon-filtration systems and bottled water to property owners with polluted wells . Last month , the state announced it would connect 20 private wells to municipal water mains in the towns of Newburgh and New Windsor .
Though Kuehner admitted the state was “ swamped with requests ,” private well sampling will continue in targeted areas around the lake .
For more information on private well testing in the Beaver Dam Lake area , contact Wendy Kuehner at 518-402-7880 .