MEATPACKING DISTRICT — The proposed construction of the natural gas pipeline has locals concerned about environmental hazards, terrorism and six months of overnight construction as the energy company behind the project prepares to dig.
Houston-based natural gas company Spectra Energy Corp. is ramping up to build nearly 20 miles of pipeline stretching from Linden, N.J., to the west side of Manhattan, representatives told Community Board 2's waterfront committee at a recent meeting.
The project's environmental impact statement, prepared by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will be issued March 16, Spectra project director Ed Gonzales said.
The Hudson River Park Trust, one of four bodies that need to approve the project, is planning a March 26 hearing on the pipeline and will receive public comments through April 25, project documents said.
Board members said they wanted highly detailed information regarding the impacts of the project before they could give it the green light.
"We've been asked to make a decision, but we know very little about the environmental impacts of this project," board member Shirley Secunda said.
The pipeline — which is being constructed in response to a projected increase in demand for natural gas over the next 30 years — has been "over-designed" with 42-inch- and 30-inch-diameter, corrosion-resistant, high-grade carbon steel pipes to ensure its safety, Gonzales said. The pipes will operate at just 10 percent of the pressure levels they are designed to handle, be inspected with X-rays during construction, and be patrolled daily for any threats to their security.
Village resident Buck Moorhead said he wasn't assured of the safety of the pipeline or the underground regulating station planned for just north of the new Whitney Museum site. He was skeptical, too, that the company could keep the site secure.
"This is going to become a terror point," he said. "And your industry has a bad track record."
Locals also referred to a natural gas pipeline that exploded in the San Francisco area in September 2010. The accident killed eight people, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Spectra's proposed pipeline is not comparable to the San Bruno pipeline, Gonzales said, pointing out that the deadly pipeline owned by Pacific Gas & Electric was only 0.375 inches thick, had been built in the 1950s and was incorrectly inspected.
"They had no way to determine any internal issues with that pipeline," he said.
Beyond safety and security, Meatpacking District residents said they were worried about construction noise and street closures. The project would require six months of overnight construction at its endpoint, with hours that have not yet been determined, and the closure of one or two lanes of the West Side Highway at night.
Gonzales said construction sites would be covered with steel plates and open to traffic during the day.
"The noise will be extremely minimal," he said.
Spectra's current timeline foresees approval of all permits by May, a construction start date in June with drilling under the Hudson River from August 2012 through January 2013, and completion of the Manhattan and Hudson River components of the project by January 2013.
Use of the pipeline would begin in November 2013, according to project documents.
