UNITEDSTATESOFAMERICA

BEFORETHE
FEDERALENERGYREGULATORYCOMMISSION
OEP/DG2E/GAS2
(MillenniumPipelineCompanyDocketNo.CP16-486-000
EasternSystemUpgradeProject)

May1,2017

HonorableKimberlyD.Bose
Secretary
FederalEnergyRegulatoryCommission
888FirstStreetNE,Room1A
Washington,DC20426

RE:InadequateStreamDisclosures&Classifications-NeversinkRiverCrossing-Huguenot
Loop.

DearSecretaryBose,

AsnotedinyourMarch31st2017publicnotice,ThestaffoftheFederalEnergyRegulatory
Commission(FERC)haspreparedanEnvironmentalAssessment(EA)oftheEasternSystem
UpgradeProject(Project)proposedbyMillenniumPipelineCompany,LLC(Millennium)inthe
abovereferenceddocket.Millenniumrequestsauthorizationtoconstruct,operate,and
maintainnewnaturalgasfacilitiesinNewYorkconsistingof:

(i)approximately7.8milesof30-and36-inch-diameterpipelineloopinOrangeCounty;
(ii)anew22,400horsepower(hp)compressorstationinSullivanCounty;
(iii)additional22,400hpattheexistingHancockCompressorStationinDelawareCounty;
(iv)modificationstotheexistingRamapoMeterStationinRocklandCounty;
(v)modificationstotheWagonerInterconnectinOrangeCounty;
(vi)additionalpipelineappurtenantfacilitiesattheHuguenotandWesttownMeterStationsin
OrangeCounty;and
(vii)analternateinterconnecttothe16-inch-diameterValleyLateralatmilepost7.6ofthe
Project.

Ofparticular,ongoingandunmitigatedconcernforwaterresourcesintimatelyconnectedtothe
potentialgrantingofaSection401WaterQualityCertificationbytheNewYorkState
DepartmentofConservation(NYSDEC)1isitemi-approximately7.8milesof30-and
36-inch-diameterpipelineloopinOrangeCountyknownastheHuguenotLoop.Whilethe
FERCdiscussestheHuguenotLoopinsomedetail,itgoestogreatlengthstoavoidaspecific

1
http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/81010.html
discussionofstreamqualityimpactsassociatedwiththeHDDcrossingattheNeversinkRiver
(NeversinkCrossing)towardsthestartofthe7.8mileloop.Thislackofspecificityisa
thoroughlyinadequatebasisonwhichtodeliberatethegrantingofafullSection401Water
QualityCertificationbytheNewYorkStateDepartmentofConservation(NYSDEC).

Ofspecificandurgentconcernarestreamcrossingsandpotentialimpactsasaresultofthe
HuguenotLoopasitcrossesimmediatelyeastoftheNeversinkRiver,nottomentionthe
crossingoftheNeversinkRiveritself.Asstatedonp.60oftheEasternSystemUpgrade
ProjectEA,theramificationsoftheNeversinkCrossingaredownplayedtosuchanextentto
leavetheimpressionthattherearenoneofconsequence:

TheProjectwouldnotcrossdesignatedHighQualityorExceptionalValuewaterbodies,
orstateorfederalwildandscenicrivers.TheHuguenotLoopwouldcrossthree
fisheriesofspecialconcernthatmaysupporttroutpopulations.Thesearedesignated
asC(T)waterbodies;thesewaterbodiesaresuitableforfish,shellfish,andwildlife
propagationandsurvival(classC)andtrout(T)(seeappendixF).Inaddition,the
existingaccessroadtotheHancockCompressorStationwouldcrossoneC(T)
designatedwaterbodyusinganexistingculvert.Fisheriesarediscussedinsection
B.3.2.TheProjectwouldcrossonewaterbodythatsupportsstateandfederallylisted
mussels,theNeversinkRiver,atMP0.7oftheHuguenotLoop.Impactsonthreatened
andendangeredspeciesarediscussedinsectionB.4.

Itisimportanttonotebeforereviewofactualevidenceofhighvaluetributariesinproximityto
theproposedNeversinkCrossingthattheFERCwasmorethanforthcomingaboutspecific
impactswhenitsuitedtheirinterestsfordeliveringapriorprojectalternativeknownasthe
MinisinkCompressorproject.AsdetailedintheMinisinkCompressorprojectEA2,in2012the
HuguenotLoopproposaloftodaywasessentiallythentheunsuitableWagonerAlternative.
Asstatedonp.51Table13:ComparisonofWagonerAlternativetotheMinisinkCompressor
StationtheWagonerAlternativewouldfeaturethefollowing:

- 5PotentialThreatenedandEndangeredSpeciesImpacts
- 11WetlandImpacts
- 12WaterbodyCrossings

Onp.54theWagonerAlternativeimpactsarediscussedfurtherandexcerptedasfollows:

...theWagonerAlternativewouldrequire11wetlandcrossingsandwouldimpactabout
2.7acresofwetlandswithabout0.3acresofpermanentimpactonforestedwetlands.
TheNeversinkSegmentreplacementwouldrequire12waterbodycrossings,including
theNeversinkRiver,comparedtotheoneintermittentstreamcrossedbytheproposed
MinisinkCompressorStationaccessroad.

2
https://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/enviro/eis/2012/03-02-12-ea/full-ea.pdf

TheWagonerAlternativehasthepotentialtoimpactfivespecialstatusspecies:the
Indianabat,bogturtle,dwarfwedgemussel,smallwhorledpogonia,andthespreading
globeflower.

Thedwarfwedgemusselisafederally-listedandNewYorkstate-listedendangered
freshwatermusselthatinhabitslargestreamsandriversthatdrainintotheAtlantic
Ocean.ThedwarfwedgemusseloccursintheNeversinkRiverthatwouldbecrossed
bythisalternativeandcouldbeimpactedbythereplacement.

ItisclearfromacomparisonofthetwoFERCEAdocumentsthatessentiallythesameproject
proposaltodayknownastheHuguenotLoophassignificantpotentialtodeliverunavoidable
andunmitigatedharmfulimpactstowaterbodiesattheNeversinkRiveraswellasthriving,
threatenedandendangeredspeciesthatresideinthosewaterbodies.Ofspecificconcernis
tributarycrossingstotheimmediateeastoftheNeversinkRiveritselfattheintersectionofthe
HuguenotLoopproposedalignment.

AsseeninExhibit#1ofAttachmentsSectionfollowingthisletter,Neversinktributarystreams
S-19,S-20andS-21areeitherfullycrossedbyand/orinextremelycloseproximitytothe
proposedalignment.YettheFERCEAdiscussionsurroundingthenatureofthesetributariesis
anythingbutconclusiveasstatedonp.60:

TheProjectwouldnotcrossdesignatedHighQualityorExceptionalValuewaterbodies,
orstateorfederalwildandscenicrivers.TheHuguenotLoopwouldcrossthree
fisheriesofspecialconcernthatmaysupporttroutpopulations.Thesearedesignated
asC(T)waterbodies;thesewaterbodiesaresuitableforfish,shellfish,andwildlife
propagationandsurvival(classC)andtrout(T)(seeappendixF)...TheProjectwould
crossonewaterbodythatsupportsstateandfederallylistedmussels,theNeversink
River,atMP0.7oftheHuguenotLoop.

AsseeininExhibit#2oftheAttachmentsSectionfollowingthisletter,theviewshed
immediatelynorthofNeversinkDriveBridgeduringthelowwaterperiodanddrought-like
conditionsofthispastfall(November19th,2016)featuresfullyflowingwaterintotheNeversink
Riverfromatleast2tributaries-S-19andS-21.Further,thisflowingtributarywatercanbe
seeninashortvideoclippublicallyaccessibleHERE3.Intheseconditions,thesimplefactthat
thesetributariesareproductivestreamsenteringtheNeversinkRiversuggeststheyareintegral
tothriving,threatenedandendangeredspeciespopulationsintheNeversink
Riveritself.

Caseinpoint:AsseeninExhibit#3oftheAttachmentsSectionfollowingthisletter,alarge,
maturebrowntroutoccupiesthelowerleftofthephotographtakenatthesamelocation,same

3
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BysiSjVwX9k6bUYzMkpPclBHRW8/view?usp=sharing
timeasthephotoinExhibit#2.ItiswellknownthattheNeversinkRiverfeaturesspecific
sectionsoftheriversuitabletowildandreproducingBrown,Rainbow,BrookandTigerTrout
populations-theseareuniquesectionsanduniquetroutpopulations.Anyinfringement
whatsoeverontheseself-sustainingpopulationsisaninfringementnotonlyonspecies
themselves,butthelargerNeversinkRiver,itstributariesandecosystem.Priortoany
deliberationpertainingtothegrantingofaSection401WaterQualityCertificationbytheNew
YorkStateDepartmentofConservation(NYSDEC)4foraproposedproject,ALLtributariesin
theimmediatevicinityoftheprojectmustbeclassifiedcorrectlyandmustbedeliberatedin
publictodeterminethetrueextentofwaterqualityandspeciesimpacts.

Thecorrectclassificationstreamsanddeliberationofthetrueextentofwaterqualityand
speciesimpactsattheproposedNeversinkCrossingisincreasinglyconcerningandurgentas
itsuncleartheextenttowhichthishasbeenaccomplishedatthestatelevel.Asseenin
Exhibit#4oftheAttachmentsSectionfollowingthisletter,ascreenshotoftheNYSDECERM
mapper5suggestsnoneofthetributariesS-19,S-20orS-21-havebeenmapped.Further,it
isuncleartowhatextentthesetributarieshavebeentypifiedrelativetoitslargerecological
valueaseitherC(T)orC(TS)beyondCclassification.Giventhatthereisclearevidenceoftrout
speciesintheNeversinkRiverinextremelycloseproximitytotheproposedprojectcrossing,it
standstoreasonthatS-19,S-20andS-21areinalllikelihoodC(TS)tributaries,largely
unmappednorclassified.

IntheFERCscontinuedoverrelianceontheapplicantsownincompletestudies,premature
assertionsandvagueimpactfindingsregardingtheprojectsegmentknownastheHuguenot
Loop,theEAcontinuestobedeficientandaninappropriatebenchmarkonwhichtobasea
NYSDECgrantingofaSection401WaterQualityCertificationbytheNewYorkState
DepartmentofConservation(NYSDEC).Atthisjuncture,thepublicdemandsafullstudyand
investigationoftheextentandnatureofwaterresourcespotentiallyimpactedbytheEastern
SystemUpgradeprojectinitsentirety-andveryspecificallyattheNeversinkCrossingportion
oftheproposedHuguenotLoop.

Respectfully submitted,

Stephen Metts
Sullivan County, NY

OEP/DG2E/Gas2
MillenniumPipeline
Company,LLC
EasternSystemUpgrade
Project
DocketNo.CP16-486-000

4
http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/81010.html
5
http://www.dec.ny.gov/gis/erm/
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