Planners of the $750 million Constitution Pipeline are getting an "extremely positive" response from the majority of the more than 1,000 landowners whose property could be traversed by the proposed natural gas transmission system, a spokesman for the project said Tuesday.
Letters requesting permission to conduct ground surveys have been sent to owners of property along the tentative pipeline route, said Chris Stockton, a spokesman for Williams Partners, which has teamed up with Cabot Oil & Gas in developing the 121-mile large-diameter pipeline.
"You might think there would be a large percentage who would deny permission (to conduct the land survey)," Stockton said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "But it's actually been just the opposite. The vast majority of people have been extremely positive."
The pipeline -- scheduled to become operational in March 2015 if the developers get needed federal and state permit approvals -- would run from Susquehanna County, Pa., to the town of Wright in Schoharie County. There, it would connect with the existing Iroquois Gas Transmission and Tennessee Gas Pipeline systems, allowing the gas to be transported to the New England and metropolitan New York City markets.
The land surveys will begin in the coming month. The data gathered will help the planners refine the route, Stockton said.
The plan calls for the line to traverse Delaware, Chenango, Broome and Schoharie counties. Part of it would run just south of Interstate 88, but it would not cross into nearby Otsego County.
Addressing concerns of environmental activists who fear the pipeline could receive natural gas produced in New York counties, Stockton said, "It is not intended to facilitate any drilling."
"This particular pipe, as it is currently designed, is full," he noted. "All of its capacity is spoken for. It would not be able to accommodate any additional supply coming from other areas."
The developers plan to hold "community open houses" to have experts from an array of fields related to the pipeline project provide information about the work that would be done.
Stockton said the open houses will be held in late July, but exact dates and sites for those events have not yet been chosen.
At a May 17 meeting in Harpersfield on the proposed pipeline, at least three people said they were concerned about the project's potential impact on the value of their property and their ability to find a buyer once they decide to sell it.
Stockton said past experience with other pipelines suggests the installation will have no impact on property values.
"This pipeline is underground," he said. "With the exception of markers, you don't even know it's there."
He said landowners benefit by allowing the surveyors to come on their property. Landowners may be able to impart important information about their property that could not be discerned with aerial observations, he noted. Such information could prompt planners to make adjustments to the pipeline's route, he said.
"Folks recognize it is in their interests to work with us early and to create a dialogue," Stockton said.
The Constitution Pipeline planners are in the process of lining up an economic impact study that will provide information on how the project could spark economic activity by attracting new industry and fuel job growth, he said. The counties where the pipeline is situated also stand to gain through property taxes that would be collected from the pipeline owners, he said.
Regardless of whether people oppose the project or welcome it, more and more area residents are becoming convinced that it will become a reality, Davenport Town Supervisor Dennis Valente said.
"I think people are coming to the understanding that there is very little the town of Davenport can do about it," Valente said. "It's almost a billion-dollar project."
He said his 82-year-old mother is among those owning a parcel of land along the planned route.
"She is from Long Island, where they have pipes all over the place," he said. "She is not terribly concerned about it."
Local News
Pipeline firm: Feedback from residents has been positive
- Local News
-
-
Three men arrested on felony drug charges
Oneonta police arrested three men Tuesday night and charged them with possession of illegal drugs worth an estimated $8,000.
-
Klugo: Ex-Bresee's work 'on pace'
The shriek of a saw and other construction noises echoed through the former Bresee's building on Main Street on Tuesday morning.
-
State council honors Oneonta teacher
The excellence of an Oneonta High School English teacher was apparent to his colleagues -- now a state professional organization has recognized it.
-
Deputies: Man, 21, drowned in river
A 21-year-old Delhi man apparently drowned Tuesday afternoon in the West Branch Delaware River, according to a news release from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.
-
Common Council hires Kendall as city clerk
The Oneonta Common Council hired Douglas Kendall as the next city clerk during a meeting at City Hall on Tuesday.
-
Police: Man drowned in Goodyear Lake
A local man apparently drowned after a canoe capsized during a storm on Goodyear Lake on Monday, Otsego County deputies said.
-
Two charged with armed robbery
Two Binghamton area residents have been arrested in connection with a robbery at a store in Afton on Thursday, state police at Binghamton said.
-
Officials announce Otego road project
A culvert replacement project will begin Monday on Flax Island Road, about 2.5 miles north of state Route 7 in Otego, officials said.
-
Schoharie agencies move back to offices
Schoharie County announced Monday that the Treasurer's Office, County Clerk's Office, Department of Motor Vehicle and the Real Property Office will be moving back to their original locations on the first floor of the County Office Building starting Wednesday.
-
Senate bill drops cuts to disability funding
The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will protect service providers for the developmentally disabled from state funding cuts, according to a media release from Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, a co-sponsor of the legislation.
-
Senate passes welfare-fraud bill
The state Senate passed legislation Tuesday that will cut down on welfare abuse, one of its sponsors said in a media release.
-
Council to weigh changes at parks
The Oneonta city parks master plan will be reviewed at 6 p.m. Tuesday before the regularly scheduled Common Council meeting.
-
Oneonta begins drainage project
The city of Oneonta will begin a drainage improvement project today, weather permitting, on Park and Herkimer streets, according to a media release.
-
Dispatchers: Storms closed multiple roads
No major road closures were reported Sunday night as a result of storms in recent days, dispatchers in Schoharie, Delaware, Otsego and Chenango counties said.
- Tuesday, June 18, 2013
-
21-year-old man drowns in West Branch Delaware River
A 21-year-old man was the victim of an apparent drowning this afternoon in the West Branch Delaware River, according to a news release from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.
-
Most area schools beat N.Y. grad rate
-
SUNY chief honors 15 local educators
Fifteen faculty and staff at the area's three public colleges have gleaned 2012-13 Chancellor's Awards for Excellence.
-
Oneonta to name new superintendent
A new superintendent will be appointed at a special meeting of the Oneonta City School Board of Education.
-
Delaware deputies charge 7 in drug bust
Seven residents have been arrested on felony drug charges in a continuing fight against drug trafficking, Delaware County deputies said Monday.
-
Norwich gets $5M for water treatment
The city of Norwich will be receiving a $4,022,000 loan and $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program to go toward building a water treatment plant to replace a century-old facility.
-
Three men arrested on felony drug charges
