Lincoln Restler gets arrested during environmental protest against a pipeline in Williamsburg

 

Brooklyn Paper 

Police arrested four protesters who locked themselves to a controversial National Grid fracked gas pipeline construction site in Williamsburg on Thursday morning.

Two environmental advocates fastened each other to the underground tube for three hours while two more activists secured themselves to the active building site at the corner of Manhattan and Montrose avenues at around 9 am, protesting the utility company’s seven-mile fossil fuel pipe.

“They don’t care about us. They never asked for our consent to come in here so we need to stop it because no politician is doing it for us,” said Pati Rodriguez, who linked herself with a makeshift cardboard pipe to the pipeline with fellow protester Benny Woodard on Oct. 15.

About 30 protesters with groups like the No North Brooklyn Pipeline Coalition and Frack Outta Brooklyn cheered on the subterranean stunt as dozens of cops with the Special Operations and Technical Assistance Response units showed up and cordoned off the block.

The demonstrators live-streamed their underground action, while another protester held a dance session above the construction site.

Just before noon, police went down and hoisted them out, cuffing the duo along with the two other protesters who were locked against the construction fence — including local Council candidate Lincoln Restler. 

Cops drove the four arrestees to the 73rd Precinct in Brownsville for trespassing onto the site, although they have yet to be formally charged, a police spokesman said. They were yet to be formally charged and were still at the eastern Brooklyn station house as of Thursday evening, a Department spokeswoman said. 

Looks like Lincoln is taking a page from the de Blasio cosplay protester campaigning playbook.

As for this environmental group, where were they when this pipeline started three years ago? Why did they and most importantly Lincoln wait until the last phase of construction was happening in their neighborhood? NIMBY much?

 

Very Oniony hoax article concerning greenpoint pipeline

Gas pipeline in Rockaway gets kiboshed

QNS

New York State rejected the application for the controversial Williams Pipeline, also known as the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project, the $1 billion pipeline that would have transported fracked natural gas from Pennsylvania under New York Harbor terminating just over three miles off Rockaway Beach.

More than 60 elected officials — including City Councilman Costa Constantinides, state Senator Joseph Addabbo and Comptroller Scott Stringer — had announced their opposition to the 24-mile pipeline along with 250 organizations and nearly 20,000 who stand against the project.

National Grid had warned the pipeline was necessary to provide guaranteed service to new gas customers, including Governor Andrew Cuomo’s $1.18 billion Belmont Park redevelopment plan. 

Environmentalists warned the project would prolong dependence on fossil fuels instead of moving towards a clean energy future and that construction would pollute the waters by kicking up toxic heavy metals in the sediment.

“As currently conceived in the application, construction of the NESE pipeline project is projected to result in water quality violations and fails to meet New York State’s rigorous water quality standards,” the state Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement released Wednesday. “Specifically, construction of the proposed project would result in significant water quality impacts from the re-suspension of sediments and other contaminants, including mercury and copper.”

Stringer called the decision a major victory.

“We’ve been outspoken in opposition to the pipeline from the beginning, and I am so proud of the coalition of dedicated advocates who refused to have their voices drowned out be entrenched interests,” he said. “The fossil fuel industry learned an important lesson, they are no match against the people of New York. When we fight back, we win.”

The fight is far from over because the DEC rejection was “without prejudice” meaning the Oklahoma-based Williams Transco could reapply.

“The Department of Conservation raised a minor technical issue with our application for water quality certification,” Williams Transco spokesman Chris Stockton said. “Our team will be evaluating the issue and resubmitting the application quickly. We are confident that we can be responsive to this technical concern, meet our customer’s in-service date and avoid a moratorium that would have a devastating impact on the regional economy and environment.”

Debate, consternation and trepidation over fracked gas pipeline from Rockaway Beach to the Jersey Shore

From NBC:

Environmentalists and clammers are challenging a natural gas pipeline that would serve Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island. Brian Thompson reports on the heated debate.

Rockaway activists protest the installation of another natural gas pipeline by the towns and beaches

 The Wave


Activists took to City Hall on Thursday, Jan. 24 to try to stop the building of a 23-mile long pipeline that will carry fracked gas under New York Harbor. The planned pipeline, which is being called the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Pipeline and would be constructed by Williams of Oklahoma, would run along the Staten Island coast and extend out to four miles off Rockaway.

Williams’ already existing Transco pipeline covers approximately 10,200 miles, extending from South Texas to New York City, according to their website.
A coalition of groups made up of The New York Public Interest Research Group Fund (NYPIRG,) Food & Water Watch – New York, New York Communities for Change, 350 NYC and more formed to prevent the NESE pipeline from happening. Patrick Houston, Sara Gronim, Eric Weltman and Lee Ziesche are some of the people at the helm of this campaign to prevent the NESE construction.

 “To lay this pipeline, Williams must excavate a giant trench across New York harbor,” reads an excerpt from an online document published by the coalition. “The harbor seabed is contaminated by toxins like PCBs, dioxin, lead, and arsenic. These toxins will be churned up into the water and washed ashore by the tides, contaminating marine life and the shoreline.”

 Williams’ perspective on the pipeline is rooted in a belief that it will provide cleaner energy and economic opportunities. “Natural gas is a critical part of New York’s energy mix and the demand for it continues to increase. The additional natural gas capacity created by the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project will support new economic projects, environmental initiatives, and continue to allow homes and buildings to convert from dirty heating oils to a cleaner source,” reads an online statement by the company. 

  I’m originally from Pennsylvania, so I’ve seen the dangers of fracking and the harm that it’s causing there,” said Ziesche. “People can’t drink their water, they can’t breathe their air. And in New York, we said that fracking wasn’t safe. So why would we ban fracking here, but use more fracked gas?”