Page 3
Spring 2012
NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION
line that runs from the Gulf Coast to
markets on the eastern seaboard,
sprung a leak in Bergen County, New
Jersey, according to a recent media
report. The leak in a 36-inch-
ĚŝĂŵĞƚĞƌƐĞĐƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞƉŝƉĞůŝŶĞƌĞƉͲ
resents the second incident calling
ŝŶ ƚŽ ƋƵĞƐƟŽŶ ƚŚĞƉŝƉĞůŝŶĞ͛
Ɛ ŝŶƚĞŐƌŝƚLJ
in less than a month. A natural gas
ĐŽŵƉƌĞƐƐŽƌ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ Žǁ ŶĞĚ ĂŶĚ ŽƉͲ
erated by Williams, which pumps
pressurized natural gas obtained
from hydraulic fracturing wells in
Pennsylvania through the Transco
pipeline, exploded last week. The
Williams Co., which is already oper-
ĂƟŶŐ ƵŶĚĞƌ Ă ĨĞĚĞƌĂů ŽƌƌĞĐƟǀ Ğ ĐͲ
ƟŽŶ K ƌĚĞƌŝŶ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟŽŶ ǁ ŝƚŚ ĂŵĂƐͲ
sive natural gas pipeline explosion in
Alabama last year, has a lengthy rec-
ŽƌĚ ŽĨ ƉŝƉĞůŝŶĞ ƐĂĨĞƚLJǀ ŝŽůĂƟŽŶƐ͕
ĂĐͲ
cording to documents obtained by
NaturalGasWatch.org." Here's a link
to more accidents with the Williams
Transco pipelines:
ŚƩ Ɖ͗
ͬ
ͬ
www.naturalgaswatch.org/?p=1305
Oh, but don't worry, EVERYTHING
will be perfect with the huge pipe
that will be tunneled under Rocka-
way and under Jamaica Bay. I won-
der what would happen if there was
a gas leak in the pipe that will snake
under the Bay? Will they have to
level a marsh island perhaps, to ac-
cess it? A well-known marine scien-
ƟƐƚ ǁ ĂƐ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ŵĞĞƟŶŐ t ĞĚŶĞƐĚĂLJ
night and he was concerned about
the possibility of salt corrosion in
the offshore pipe. But of course the
pipe would be built to the highest
standards and it would be fine. Oh,
by the way, just last week, right here
on Ocean Parkway, in the middle of
Brooklyn, water got into a gas line.
People turned on their oven and had
water fountains. An old water main
broke, and some way, somehow
water got into the gas line. It's not
supposed to happen, EVER, but it
did. There were also a lot of contra-
dictory statements in the local me-
dia about whether or not a gas leak
was present. But of course, nothing
would ever happen to that high
pressure pipe right off shore and
Ɛŝƫ ŶŐƵŶĚĞƌ ZŽĐŬĂǁ ĂLJĂŶĚ :ĂŵĂŝĐĂ
Bay.
/
ƚ ŐĞƚƐ Ğǀ ĞŶ ďĞƩ Ğƌ͘
dŚĞ E ĂƟŽŶĂů
Parks Service, which should be out-
raged that this non-historical, non-
ƌĞĐƌĞĂƟŽŶĂůĂŶĚ ŶŽŶ
-
environmental
use is coming to one of the old his-
toric hangers, is instead smacking
their lips at the thought of the hang-
er being "restored". Restored for
WHAT??? All that will be done is
that the outside will be made to look
ƉƌĞƩ LJ͘
'
ĞĞ ǁ Śŝnj͕
ǁ ŚŝůĞ ǁ ĞΖƌĞ Ăƚ ŝƚ͕
maybe someone can build a nice
ƐŚŽƉƉŝŶŐŵĂů ŝŶ ƚŚĞƌĞƚŽŽ͍
ŌĞƌĂů͕
that's what happened to Vandalia
ƵŶĞƐ͕
ĂĐƌŝƟĐĂů Ƶī ĞƌƚŚĞ ĂLJƉƌŽƉͲ
erty. How about a supermarket in
the middle of the Jamaica Bay Wild-
life Refuge? If they put a green roof
on top of it and some nice plants, it
can even be considered
ΗƌĞƐƚŽƌĂƟŽŶΗ͊
ŽŶΖƚ ƚŚŝŶŬ ŝƚ ĐĂŶΖƚ
happen. Someone I know has been
trying for years to get a shopping
mall built on some undeveloped
parkland here in far western Brook-
lyn, but they did not have enough
ƉŽůŝƟĐĂů ĐůŽƵƚ ƚŽ ŐĞƚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƚŚĞ
ĂůŝĞŶĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƉĂƌŬůĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĐĞƐƐ͘
WĞƌͲ
ŵŝƫ ŶŐ Ă ŵĞƚĞƌŝŶŐ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ ǁ ŝƚŚŝŶ
'
ĂƚĞǁ ĂLJ͕
Ă E ĂƟŽŶĂů WĂƌŬ͕
ƐĞƚƐ Ă
very frightening precedent. The NPS
really needs to be held accountable
ĨŽƌƉĞƌŵŝƫ ŶŐƚŚŝƐ ƚŽ ŵŽǀ ĞĨŽƌǁ ĂƌĚ͘
And there is even more: Some of
you may be aware of plans to build
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) termi-
nals off the coast of Rockaway and
New Jersey. Well, right now, Clean
K ĐĞĂŶ ĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ E : ŚĂƐ ĚĞĨĞĂƚĞĚ ƚŚĞ
latest one that was proposed, but
we expect that more projects will
ƐŽŽŶ ďĞ ƌĞĂƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƵŐůLJ ůŝƩ ůĞ
heads. Although an LNG facility is
NOT PART OF THE ROCKAWAY PRO-
JECT, if someone DID build one, they
MUST be given permission to hook
up to this pipeline. How convenient!
t Ğ ĂƌĞ ƌĞĂůLJ ŐĞƫ ŶŐ ƐŶŽŽŬĞƌĞĚ
with this one folks!
Ida Sanoff, Chair
Destroying Crooke’s Point
LJ ůĞŶ WƌĂƩ
Crooke’s Point, that spit of sand be-
tween Great Kills Harbor and the
Raritan Bay in Great Kills Park, Gate-
ǁ ĂLJ E ĂƟŽŶĂů ZĞĐƌĞĂƟŽŶ ƌĞĂ͕
ŝƐ
ďĞŝŶŐ ĚĞƐƚƌŽLJĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ E ĂƟŽŶĂů
Park Service (NPS) and the NYC
Parks Department Natural
Re-
sources Group. Already 2+ acres of
shrubs and vines, excellent food and
shelter for resident and migratory
ďŝƌĚƐ͕
ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ďƵůĚŽnjĞĚ͘
D ƵůƟƉůĞ
ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ ŽĨ ŚĞƌďŝĐŝĚĞƐ ŚĂǀ ĞďĞĞŶ
ĂƉƉůŝĞĚ͘
WĞƚƌŽůĞƵŵ ƐƟŶŬƐ ĂďŽƵŶĚ͖
birds feeding on the site are being
poisoned. The effort is part of the
City’s Million Trees Project.
The plan: remove invasive and all
plants (2/12), apply herbicides re-
ƉĞĂƚĞĚůLJƚŽ Ŭŝů ƌĞŵĂŝŶŝŶŐǀ ĞŐĞƚĂƟŽŶ
(2/12-
ϴͬ
ϭϯ Ϳ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂŶƚ ŶĂƟǀ Ğ ƐŚƌƵďƐ
and trees, (10/13) which are claimed
ƚŽ ƉƌŽǀ ŝĚĞ ďĞƩ Ğƌ ĨŽŽĚ ĨŽƌŵŝŐƌĂƟŶŐ
ĂŶĚ ƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ ďŝƌĚƐ ĂŶĚ ďƵƩ ĞƌŇŝĞƐ͘
The problems: Crooke’s Point func-
ƟŽŶƐ ĞdžƚƌĞŵĞůLJǁ Ğů ĂƐ ĂŶ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ
ƌĞƐƟŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞĨƵĞůŝŶŐ ƐŝƚĞ ĂůŽŶŐ ƚŚĞ
ĚĞŶƐĞůLJĚĞǀ ĞůŽƉĞĚ ƚůĂŶƟĐD ŝŐƌĂƚŽͲ
ry Flyway. Herbicides have contami-
nated the sand and are filtering into
the water table and into Great Kills
Harbor fishing grounds and fisheries.
Plants won’t survive in the low nutri-
ent, well drained sand. Evaluate
success and focus on another 5 acre
ƉŽƌƟŽŶ ŽĨ dŚĞ WŽŝŶƚ͘
&
Žƌ ĐĞƌƚĂŝŶ͗
Crooke’s Point will return in ten
LJĞĂƌƐ͛
ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ŝƚƐ ŶĂƚƵƌĂůǀ ĞŐĞƚĂƟŽŶ͗
Ă ŵŝdžŽĨ ŶĂƟǀ Ğ͕
ŶŽŶ
-
ŶĂƟǀ Ğ͕
ŝŶǀ ĂƐŝǀ Ğ