I got the call last night as well and was on the phone for about 15 minutes answering a series of questions. Well worth the time to have your input heard....Quote:

I just received a phone call from a telephone research company regarding the pipeline. The name of the company is National Research and they asked about whether I support the pipeline. If they call you, please give them your time and have your opinion count. the girl on the phone said that the information goes to the federal gov. The number comes up as "private number" on the caller ID.

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Yes. Like most neighborhood associations, guests are always welcome. In a FERC hearing, anyone in the world may attend a scoping hearing and their comments become part of the official record and any issues not previously brought up must be addressed in FERC's EIS.

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Will people out of the block association district, and especially those from New Jersey be allowed to come to the meeting ?

Community Board 2 FERC Hearing
PS 41- Greenwich Village, NYC
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 - 6:30pm

Very well organized group that since the 50's has been one of the leading activist community groups in the nation! Stephen Musgrave and myself will be at this meeting to state what NO Gas Pipeline have done on behalf of Jersey City in regards to Spectra Energy's natural gas pipeline.

Community Board 2 FERC Hearing
Jason Mansfield Chair CB 2 Manhattan
Environment, Public Safety & Health
mansfield@cb2manhattan.org


FERC Meeting: P.S. 41 Greenwich Village School: ‎
116 west 11th Street
(PATH 14th St, Between 6th ave/7th ave.)
New York, NY 10011
phone: 212.675.275

Spectra is a fraction of the size of BP. But they are proposing to put something in place that could jeopardize millions more people than the BP gulf oil spill.

They're relying on the fact that based on the under-regulation of pipelines, and lack of oversight, if they can pass the existing lax federal requirements, then they can deflect blame on any accident on the fed agencies, and get yet another taxpayer bailout.

THE TAXPAYER SHOULDN"T UNDERWRITE SPECTRA NOR PROVIDE A BAILOUT IF THINGS GO WRONG.

SPECTRA don't have the financial backing of a BP. On that grounds alone this project should be shelved.

Click To Enlarge:


From the above NYTimes article -- historically NJ is pretty soft on these gasline companies -- softer than NY or even PA!

Interesting article in the Times today about the failure of regulators to enforce safety compliance and adequate maintenance in the pipeline industry.

Millions of Miles of Pipe, and Years of Questions
By ANDREW W. LEHREN
Published: September 24, 2010


At a Christmas Eve gathering in 2008, a natural gas explosion in a suburban Sacramento neighborhood killed a 72-year-old man and injured his daughter and granddaughter. Investigators determined that Pacific Gas and Electric was to blame for a leak, but federal and state regulators never cited the utility for safety violations.

It was one example of what many experts and studies say is weak oversight of gas pipelines in the United States, a problem that has contributed to hundreds of pipeline episodes that have killed 60 people and injured 230 others in the last five years. Those figures do not include the final toll of the explosion of another Pacific Gas and Electric pipeline this month in San Bruno, Calif., that left seven people dead and more than 50 injured.

Though the cause of that explosion was still under investigation, it was the latest event to raise concerns among safety experts. Several independent government reviews, going back several years, have found systemic problems with the way the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the federal agency in charge of pipeline oversight, enforces safety rules.

In 2004, for example, the General Accounting Office documented how pipeline safety enforcement ?needs further strengthening.? It noted that average fines of less than $30,000 offered little deterrence and that the agency had trouble collecting the fines.

A 2008 Congressional Research Service report said that the enforcement strategy of federal agencies of the nation?s pipelines was an ?ongoing concern.?

?I believe there is a lack of a strong safety culture in the natural gas industry,? said Jim Hall, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board from 1994 to 2001 and an experienced pipeline investigator. ?When you have a lack of enforcement activity, you end up with a tragedy.?

An examination of the pipeline agency?s safety record points to many shortcomings, as well. For example, a review by The New York Times of all enforcement cases initiated during the past eight years shows that a third of them are unresolved.

While the average fine has gone up, the amount is unclear, based on federal records, and the number of fines issued by the pipeline agency fell 40 percent last year compared with 2004, when the G.A.O. issued its critical report.

Several cases from the early 1990s remained open until last year. Some cases involving unsafe pipelines and dating back more than eight years were still being investigated.

The pipeline agency has acknowledged that it lost track of some enforcement actions, not knowing whether cases had been resolved or fines had been paid. The agency said it solved that problem last year with a new database to track cases.

It defended its enforcement work, saying that it has made improvements, particularly in the last two years, to resolve lingering cases. And it is seeking legislative approval to increase its oversight. ?This administration has significantly stepped up enforcement of P.H.M.S.A. pipeline safety regulations,? said Cynthia L. Quarterman, the agency?s administrator.

Industry trade groups say that despite the accidents, pipelines are among the nation?s safest way to deliver fuel to homes and businesses. And not every case is the fault of pipeline operators.

Utilities reported to federal regulators that roughly half of significant ?incidents,? as they are known in the industry, are the fault of others, including cases in which builders, cable companies and utilities excavate and unwittingly dig into underground gas pipes.

But federal records show that many serious episodes are caused by factors for which utilities are responsible, including pipeline corrosion, operator errors and malfunctioning equipment.

They include at least two dozen excavations where pipeline operators themselves dug into their own lines, something that Pacific Gas reported doing at least twice in recent years. Texas regulators recently determined that a June explosion of a large gas transmission line from excavation was the fault of an operator that failed to mark the pipeline properly.

The pipeline agency directly oversees huge transmission lines that cross state borders. But for most pipelines it relies on state agencies. It certifies the agencies to ensure that they enforce rules based on national standards. It helps finance them, provides training, and relies on them to conduct inspections.

For rest of article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/us/25pipeline.html?_r=1&hp

Now that the Mayor has "declared" his intent to intervene when legally first possible (probably Dec when FERC issues "Deadline for Intervenors", "Notice of Application"), we have shifted our emphasis: No San Bruno in Jersey City! Demand Governor Christie have the Attorney General Declare NOW that NJ will Intervene! Call Governor Christie's office at (609) 292-6000. It's crucial to call not only the Governor but all on our "Take Action" page. We must do this BEFORE Dec, as then only 30 days notice and purposely done at holiday time. Click on sig below to go to our site.

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Let's all not let it get that far! Go to our site to see how you can help. See below and click on sig. Then click on "Take Action".

Another point interresting to me.

San Bruno couldn't publish where the pipeline went for fear of terrorst attack. How will Spectra manage the route of the pipeline through JC?

They can't keep it secret due to JC population density. And if they publish the final route, they're opening Spectra and JC to attack.

Seriously, it's got to be a non-starter. EVEN if it isn't, a very simple campaign of pointing out the Spectra pipeline work will likely stop the effort. Once Spectra starts building in my back yard, I'll be the first out there with huge signs pointing out where Spectra are building the gas pipe, asking residents to block it. Terrorists will figure very quickly how to blow it up.

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LOL

How about -- Rust never sleeps?

Here they are claiming that last nights storm caused this old rusty tank to fail.

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Well, luckily we convinced the Mayor that it was "right" to declare now the intent to intervene. We also followed the Mayor's press release within an hour, announcing at the City Council mtg. our own intent to intervene, represented byEastern Environmental Law Center, a non-profit public interest environmental law firm working on behalf of environmental and conservation groups.

Located in Newark, New Jersey, the EELC is the sole public interest environmental law firm in New Jersey, offering many pro bono and reduced rate legal services to the environmental and conservation communities.

As to why hiring a lobbyist is a waste of time, see this timely article:




A little late for the gravy train
By Maury Litwack - 09/16/10 03:46 PM ET

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina recently procured a lobbyist to aid them in their fight for federal recognition in this Congressional session. Jersey City just hired a firm to block a Texas company from running a natural gas pipeline through Jersey City. Other municipalities, businesses, and non-profits are considering hiring a lobbyist before November. Hiring lobbyists to pursue an agenda is normally business as usual in Washington, but what makes these hiring decisions different is the timing ? there is only about a month left for any serious legislative push before the election heats up in full force. Perhaps they are anticipating a lot of action during a proposed lame duck session? The oddity of a lobbying hire at this late stage of the game puts into question either the logic of the buyer (the client) or the logic of the seller (the lobbyist)?

The New York Times recently noted that 60% of all lobbying yields absolutely nothing. This is a startling number for anyone considering hiring a lobbyist and certainly for these late to the game clients. Does the successful 40% occur at the very end of a two year Congressional session, and, if so, what does that say about all those who have employed a lobbyist for the last two years? Are these late-comers savvy investors who have some kind of inside information or are they needlessly spending money that would be better preserved for the beginning of the 112th?

Perhaps the seller is to be blamed for trying to sell a golden goose that?s not laying any more eggs. Many lobbyists are still pitching earmarking services which appear to have long dried up. With most of the House of Representatives banning earmarks and, as it has been noted in various media outlets, with more than 15 Senate hopefuls wishing to ban earmarks, perhaps some lobbyists are pitching what is fast becoming a dead service that will damage their ability to sell their services in their entirety for the upcoming earmark-free session.

Other questions pop-up when considering this late hire. Were the elected officials who your lobbyist knows just sitting around for nearly 2 years waiting for your project? Surely the lobbyist has spoken to these same elected officials numerous times to push forward other legislation from other clients. Have the Lumbee Tribe and Jersey City really not spoken to their own elected officials for two years, or have their internal and external ?consultants? advised them to go hire a lobbyist regardless of existing relationships if they really want something done?

Regardless of these additional questions, something is wrong with the picture of a client hiring a lobbyist when the probability of passing favored legislation is so dim.

I believe that both the lobbyist and the client truly want to believe that their partnership will work even at the 11th hour. It isn't naivety on the part of the client or deceptiveness on the part of the lobbyist but instead a real desire to fight for the issue regardless of the odds. Although such an approach is gutsy, it isn't realistic or helpful to either party. Clients leave disappointed and lobbyists leave without a clear win that will enable them to continue to sell their services. Rather than this last minute ?guns blazing? approach, both parties need to be more serious in this partnership. Clients need to get serious with their issue and understand what they are trying to accomplish and be realistic about the odds of passage. To recognize that an issue may move somewhat in the last few minutes of session is realistic, but to believe that your lobbyist knows some legislative wizard that none of the rest of us do is setting your issue up for failure. Lobbyists need to force clients to go through a more constructive and thoughtful process before signing a contract. Setting up false expectations and stretching existing contacts only does a disservice to the entire enterprise. If both sides viewed the hiring of a lobbyist as an important part of a longer comprehensive Washington advocacy plan it would place their issue in the 40 % category of those who can get issues passed.

Maury Litwack is the author of the recently published book ?Capitol Plan ? A Comprehensive Washington Advocacy Strategy.? Maury has worked with elected officials, municipalities and a national non-profit on major aspects of their federal and state agendas during the last seven Congressional Sessions. Maury served on the staff of two Congressmen during the 108th and 109th Congress, where he provided legislative expertise and political strategy. Maury left the Hill to expand the Washington office of Miami-Dade County, the 6th largest county in the country, and now serves on the federal affairs staff of a national non-profit. Maury has been published frequently and spoken at a variety of national forums and university events.

Gasland the movie is now playing at the IFC Center
323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street | (212) 924-7771

Purchase tickets online:
http://www.ifccenter.com/films/gasland

Thu, Sep 16 at: 11:45 AM, 2:05 PM, 4:30 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM
Fri, Sep 17 at: 11:45 AM, 2:05 PM, 4:35 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM
Sat, Sep 18 at: 11:45 AM, 2:05 PM, 4:35 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM
Sun, Sep 19 at: 11:45 AM, 2:05 PM, 4:35 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM
Mon, Sep 20 at: 11:45 AM, 2:05 PM, 4:35 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM
Tue, Sep 21 at: 11:45 AM, 2:05 PM, 4:35 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM
Wed, Sep 22 at: 11:45 AM, 2:05 PM, 4:35 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM
Thu, Sep 23 at: 11:45 AM, 2:05 PM, 4:35 PM, 7:00 PM, 9:30 PM

Filmmakers in person Wed 9/15 & Thu 9/16 at 7:00 & 9:30pm! A natural-gas drilling boom has swept across the United States in recent years, as the Halliburton-developed drilling technology of ?fracking? has unlocked a ?Saudi Arabia of natural gas? just beneath us. But is the method safe? When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for drilling, he decides to investigate, embarking upon a cross-country odyssey. He uncovers a trail of secrets, lies and contamination?from unexplained illnesses to flammable tap water?in this expose of a new country called GASLAND.

NR, 107 Minutes USA, 2010
Official Website: www.gaslandthemovie.com

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....Take it through the river, Drop it in the water

The pipeline under San Bruno was THREE FEET under (sic!). Spectra can run their line but only if it is FIFTY FEET under and in a concrete casing filled with argon.

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Gives me an idea. A kindly rewrite of the songs Take Me to The River [Talking heads] (or Water [Nina Simone]) as an anthem of opposition would be great. A bit corny, but still great.

Tris McCall are you listening?!

Let's hook Spectra with Vega and make them both go away.

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Amen, brother!

From your mouth to God's..er, Spectra's ears!

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Which is currently running 102-16 in favor of "No." This is an interesting issue - one in which pretty much everyone on the political side is aligned. At the end of the day, this isn't Texas or Oklahoma - it's a very densely populated part of the country that doesn't depend on energy production or transportation for its livelihood. If given the choice, who the hell would say they want this thing???

The pipeline needs to be routed through the river... The pipeline needs to be routed through the river... The pipeline needs to be routed through the river...

Today's JJ Daily Poll is: Are Jersey City and Bayonne officials overreacting to the pipeline explosion in California?
Published: Tuesday, September 14, 2010, 5:52 AM

Go to
http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... _are_jersey_city_and.html
to vote

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
From AP, today:
"Thousands of pipelines nationwide fit the same bill, and they frequently experience mishaps. Federal officials have recorded 2,840 significant gas pipeline accidents since 1990, more than a third causing deaths and significant injuries."

Another example of how the Federal govt. lets an industry self regulate ...
In San Bruno the gasline existed before and was built over. Here we have a dense population and for a better profit margin for themselves, Spectra would like to dig it under our city.
Why are we even having this discussion with Spectra?
That greed can over-ride commonsense has become a national disgrace.

Spectra, you're on notice. It defies logic and common sense to have this in such a densely populated residential area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ6YbUrnxVM

Jersey City and Bayonne mayors use California explosion to argue against proposed natural gas pipeline

Monday, September 13, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The mayors of Jersey City and Bayonne reiterated their opposition to a proposed natural gas pipeline that would run through their municipalities in the wake of Thursday night's explosion in California.

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy has asked city Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Greg Kierce to plan a trip to San Bruno, where the pipeline explosion occurred.

"While the incident in California is still under investigation, the explosion there claimed several lives, injured many, and leveled dozens of homes," Healy said in a statement. "If this type of explosion were to happen in a city our size, we cannot begin to comprehend the level of devastation, destruction and loss of life. It would be catastrophic."

Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith also repeated his opposition to Houston-based Spectra Energy's proposed natural gas pipeline.

"While it is not yet clear what the cause of the (California) explosion was, what is clear is the absolute devastation that ensued," Smith said in a statement. "A gas transmission main is simply not appropriate for our densely populated urban neighborhoods."

Spectra officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The pipeline in California is owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

Jersey City officials said according to initial reports, the San Bruno pipeline that erupted was a "Class IV" pipeline, the same thickness of pipe that Spectra has proposed constructing through Jersey City and Bayonne; both are 30 inches in diameter.

Four people have been confirmed dead in San Bruno, but given the number of people missing, that toll could rise, authorities said.

According to Kierce, San Bruno is about the size of one neighborhood in Jersey City. He said he has reached out to officials to see if he would have access to the explosion site in California to get a hands-on assessment.

Spectra has begun the process of applying to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval to run its pipeline from an existing line in Linden through Staten Island, under the Kill Van Kull, through Bayonne and Jersey City and under the Hudson River to Manhattan, where it would serve Con Edison.

Jersey City officials and citizen groups are fighting the pipeline application.

"I'd like to go out there just to strengthen our case (against Spectra) because this thing is not good for Jersey City," Kierce said. "I understand they have to deliver their forms of gas, but taking it through one of the most densely populated cities with the critical infrastructure we have in place just doesn't make sense."

California Neighbors Survey Ruins of Blasted Hillside (Associated Press)


Patrick Yu has had nightmares and headaches since a fireball from a natural gas explosion caused his ceiling to crash down next to him while he slept.

He was one of many residents who returned to the ruined hillsides of their suburban San Francisco neighborhood Sunday after Thursday's pipeline blast and fire destroyed nearly 50 homes and damaged dozens of others.

The explosion prompted California regulators to order the utility, Pacific Gas and Electric, to survey all its natural gas lines in the state in hopes of heading off another disaster.

Returning residents were wearing wristbands that show police they live in the area.

Yu said he crouched in the doorway after the blast, thinking he was in the middle of an earthquake. When the shaking subsided, he found that the heat had warped the door so much he had to pull with all his strength to get out of the bedroom.

The 62-year-old learned Sunday that his house had been red-tagged, meaning it has extensive damage and will require closer inspection before authorities can declare it safe.

"I have lots of memories in that house," Yu said. "Lots of stuff you can't replace."

A few blocks away, houses have collapsed into black and white debris on ground, with a smell like charcoal in the air. All that remains standing is a row of brick chimneys, while across the street, some homes are undamaged.

Pat and Roger Haro fared better. They and their dog, Rosie, have been living in a hotel room since Thursday after fleeing their home with the clothes they were wearing, dog food, water and an iPad.

When they returned, their home was marked with a green tag ? indicating less damage than others with yellow or red tags ? and their electricity was still off.

"Once I saw the house was still there, then I felt a whole lot better," Pat Haro said. "I think we'll be a tighter community."

Investigators were still trying to confirm how many people died.

The remains of at least four people have been found, and authorities have said four are missing and at least 60 injured, some critically. Two people reported missing after the blast were located Sunday, city spokeswoman Robyn Thaw said.

San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said they're still trying to confirm whether some of the remains are human and identify victims.

At a service Sunday morning at St. Robert's Catholic Church, the Rev. Vincent Ring conducted a prayer for the victims.

"We turn to God and we ask for mercy upon all our brothers who are hurting so badly, whose lives have changed so drastically and whose help is so badly needed from us," Ring said.

Meanwhile, local and federal officials are probing the cause of the explosion that blew a segment of pipe 28 feet long onto the street some 100 feet away, creating a crater 167 feet long and 26 feet wide.

A risky segment of the gas line was due to be replaced, the utility responsible said, because it ran through a heavily urbanized area and the likelihood of failure was "unacceptably high." That 30-inch diameter pipe a few miles north was installed in 1948 and slated to be swapped for new, smaller pipe.

PG&E [PCG 44.21 --- UNCH (0)] submitted paperwork to regulators for ongoing gas rate proceedings that said a section of the same gas line about two and a half miles away was within "the top 100 highest risk line sections" in the utility's service territory, the documents show.

The company also considered the portion that ruptured to be a "high consequence area" requiring more stringent inspections called integrity assessments, federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration spokeswoman Julia Valentine said.

Nationwide, only about 7 percent of gas lines have that classification, she said.

PG&E spokesman Andrew Souvall said the company had planned to replace the piece of the gas line mentioned in the documents with 24-inch pipe as a part of its broader proposal to upgrade infrastructure that the commission began considering last year.

Souvall said Sunday that no one complained to the utility's call centers of smelling gas in the San Bruno neighborhood in the week leading up to the blast.

He said the ruptured section, which was installed in 1956, was last checked for leaks in March. The company said later Sunday that no leaks were found.

The segment farther north was checked for leaks on Friday and none were found, Souvall added.

"We take action on a daily basis to repair our equipment as needed," he said. "PG&E takes a proactive approach toward the maintenance of our gas lines and we're constantly monitoring our system."

In ordering the company to conduct the leak survey on its natural gas lines, the state's Public Utilities Commission said Sunday that PG&E must give priority to higher pressure pipelines, as well as to lines in areas of high population density.

The order comes after Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, the state's acting governor, asked the commission to order the utility company to conduct an integrity assessment of its natural gas pipeline system.

The commission also plans to appoint an independent expert panel to help with their investigation.

Crews on Sunday packed into a crate the 28-foot section of ruptured natural gas pipeline blown out of the ground and hurled 100 feet in the explosion, said Christopher Hart, National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman.

Investigators were to ship the pipeline to the NTSB's metallurgy lab in Washington, D.C., for intensive examination, he said.

Also being shipped were two 10-foot sections of pipe removed from the crater Sunday from either side of where the ruptured section had been.

Investigators believed they had collected all the sections needed to reconstruct the metal pipeline but asked that anyone who found metal fragments in the blast area contact the NTSB. The agency also wanted to know of any instances of dead vegetation before the explosion, which could indicate a gas leak.

Accidents will happen.

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It's "formal intervenor status", which is detailed on our site but here is a link to FERC's own diagram of the process. Scroll down to where you see the diagram and click on it to enlarge. http://nogaspipeline.org/the-pipeline

Since FERC is a federal agency, only the Federal Courts have jurisdiction to overturn a FERC ruling against us. Last year 100% of natural gas pipeline filings that were determined in 2009 were approved. However, in Connecticut, their Attorney General filed for intervenor status (legal standing in the process)in 2007 and won, overturning a FERC ruling in the Federal Courts. This is the ONLY way to win.

Go to our site below in my sig to find out more info. Our site has the latest info on what is happening and what you as an individual can do to stop this pipeline from coming through JC.

When I heard about the San Bruno explosion my first thought was that it may finally put a stake through the heart of this pipeline plan. An explosion in a residential area isn't paranoia.

So they'll have to suck it up and buy a couple miles more underwater pipe than they planned. I'm sure they'll find a way to recoup the cost at the customers expense.

What is "fromal intervenor status" and how is it achieved? What additional powers does it confer upon the "Intervenor?"


I strongly suspect that, unless Obama is even more of a wimp than I currently think, he will issue a moratorium on further pipeline approval and construction at least temporarily.