While air pollution from fossil fuels costs each American an average of $2,500 a year in extra medical bills, New Yorkers continue to be burdened with the highest healthcare costs in the nation. Climate change is also costing U.S. households an additional $400 and $900 a year, on average, in rising costs in areas like insurance, energy and government. New York now has the fifth highest bills in the nation to boot.
The number one reason that electricity prices are surging in New York state is continued reliance on natural gas. Fluctuating fuel costs and price volatility are due to vulnerable supply levels. Natural Gas supply levels are determined by global conflicts, domestic exports and extreme weather caused by climate change.
All aside, Williams Transco is re-applying for permission to build the Constitution Pipeline through the heart of the Catskills and dangerously close to New York City’s watershed. New Yorkers are fully aware of the hazards and risks that the Constitution Pipeline poses, as the DEC denied the application for the permission of this project in 2016 due to its threats to New York’s drinking water supply.
building a natural gas pipeline – to transport a fossil fuel that has 84 times the greenhouse gas potency of carbon dioxide over a 20 year period – is terrible policy and poor allocation of resources when compared to renewable energy resources, conservation and demand management strategies.
Burning fossil fuels is by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for around 68% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions. Global Climate change is disastrous for public health as it is increasing respiratory and cardiovascular disease, injuries and premature deaths related to extreme weather events, changes in the prevalence and geographical distribution of food- and water-borne illnesses and other infectious diseases, and threats to mental health.
Pipelines and compressor stations release chemical pollutants into the air, sometimes at levels higher than national air quality standards and are often placed in rural areas with higher levels of poverty and/or minority populations, contributing to environmental justice concerns.
Transitioning away from fossil fuel toward cleaner and sustainable energy sources and increased investment in energy efficiency measures in the built environment will improve public health and lower emissions, hereby helping slow climate change and minimize its anticipated impacts on public health.
Energy efficiency improvements are some of the most cost-effective tools available to help make homes more comfortable and lower household energy costs. Solar PV module prices have fallen by around 90% since the end of 2009, while wind turbine prices have fallen by 49-78% since 2010 making renewable energy cost competitive. The price of residential natural gas has increased 30-40% since 2010.
FERC is clearly not taking the well-being of everyday New Yorkers into consideration by stating construction won’t significantly affect the quality of the human environment. FERC needs to properly identify the proposed construction method for each major or environmentally sensitive waterbody crossing and explain why that method was selected and evaluate potential effects of blasting, excavation, erosion, spills, soil disturbance, and other construction activities on groundwater and surface-water quality. They haven’t even identified private and public drinking-water supplies that could be affected and establish appropriate baseline testing and post-construction monitoring. A responsible FERC would evaluate reasonable crossing methods or route alternatives that would avoid or reduce impacts to sensitive water resources.
There are far healthier and more affordable choices for New York’s energy future than the Constitution Pipeline. FERC needs to reject issuing permits for the construction of the Constitution Pipeline. FERC should focus on helping build the 21st century energy infrastructure, not extending the life of the 20th century energy paradigm, which resulted in incredible damage to health and the environment and threatens the global future.
Eric Wood is senior environmental program coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). Eric has dedicated more than two decades of his life to the public interest working for NYPIRG. He specializes in New York State energy policy, focusing primarily on working with the state to achieve fossil-free energy affordability for New Yorkers.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.