VIDEO & POWERPOINT: SEQR and the Scoping Process: Lincoln Park Power Plant Project

Click on IMAGE to download powerpoint.

On Friday, February 9th Environmental Advocacy Director Hayley Carlock and Land Use Advocacy Director Jeffrey Anzevino of Scenic Hudson joined close to 50 Town of Ulster residents and two Town Board Members (Morrow and Secreto) to discuss the Lincoln Park Grid Support Center’s SEQRA process and why public participation in developing the scope for the environmental impact statement is important.

“Public involvement reduces the likelihood that unaddressed issues will arise during public review of the draft EIS. From the public’s perspective, scoping is important because it offers an opportunity to ensure the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is as comprehensive as possible to minimize the project’s environmental impact on the community. It also increases the likelihood the project will be consistent with community values.”

Presented by Scenic Hudson. Sponsored by KingstonCitizens.org in partnership with CAPP-NY, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Riverkeeper and the Woodstock Land Conservancy.

Thanks to The Kingston News for filming this event, brought to you by KingstonCitizens.org.

WELCOME TownOfUlsterCitizens.org!

KingstonCitizens.org wishes to welcome our new sister organization TownOfUlsterCitizens.org, a non-partisan, citizen run organization focused on increasing citizen engagement and creating a better Town of Ulster, NY.   VIEW

WHAT WE RECOMMEND

1. Town of Ulster Citizens should attend the next Town Board meeting on Thursday, February 15th and request a longer public comment period (90 days).  VIEW

2. The public and municipal leaders are invited to attend the upcoming educational panel “Battery Storage, Climate, and the Grid: An Educational Forum hosted by Citizens for Local Power” presented by Citizens For Local Power on February 13th.  VIEW 

IMPORTANT DATES

1. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13th at 7pm “Battery Storage, Climate, and the Grid: An Educational Forum hosted by Citizens for Local Power”. VIEW

2. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15th at 7pm:  Town of Ulster Town Board Meeting. Citizens should request for a longer public comment period in the Scoping process.
VIEW  Petition Language

3.  THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd.   Public Scoping Meeting, Town of Ulster   VIEW

4. THURSDAY, MARCH 22nd.    Deadline for written comments.

IMPORTANT MATERIALS

1. Draft Scope for Lincoln Park Grid Support Center.   VIEW

2. Concept Plan: Lincoln Park Grid Support Center. VIEW

3. Full EIS Part 1. VIEW

4. Full EIS Part 2. VIEW

5. FEAF for the Lincoln Park Grid Support Center. VIEW

Click on IMAGE to view Video #1

1:42 –  Introduction to SEQRA  
Jeffrey Anzevino, Scenic Hudson

2:54 –  What is being proposed
“A peaker power plant that could be used 24 hours a day”

4:18 –  Map of project and project description

5:54 –  What’s at risk?

10:23 – The process and how we can make a difference 
Hayley Carlock, Scenic Hudson

10:56 – Lincoln Park Grid Support Center:  Approvals Required

12:37 –  Lincoln Park Grid Support Center: Regulatory Review
“Before any permits can be issued, the SEQR process must comes to a conclusion.”

13:35 – SEQR Flow Chart
VIEW flow chart for more information on the DEC’s website. 

17:04 – Where are we now?  Scoping part of the process

18:21 – Next steps in the SEQR process
Why it’s important to comment on the Draft Scope (the foundation of the DEIS).

19:38 – Scoping: Your chance to identify potential local impacts and community resources that the Lead Agency may not be aware of.
“SEQR requires an evaluation of reasonable alternatives….including no action. It’s important to suggest those so that they might have to be looked at.”

21:07 – Scoping Comments: Focus on local impacts that you think should be studied.
“Economic impacts, such as property values, is legitimate to bring up in SEQR process.”

21:58 –  More ways to get involved
Jeffrey Anzevino, Scenic Hudson
“The Draft scope is weak on alternatives….and it’s important that we identify other alternatives”

24:40 – 32:00    Citizen Question. #1
“How are the public’s questions submitted? How can we comment on the emission calculation? What are the economics? What alternatives are there? What are the quality of life and health issues of a project like this?”

32:01 –  34:04    Citizen Question. #2
“How does this plant benefit this area directly? We know that folks who would receive power from this peaker plant are in Westchester County and South of here.  We need to include a financial aspect. How much is it going to cost, and how will it benefit us?”

34:05 – 34:48  Citizen Question. #3
“Can the Town make a decide to say ‘no’ to this project?”

34:49 –  36:12   Citizen Question. #4
“Does a Draft Scope typically go through the municipality’s planning board before being released to the public?”

36:13 – 36:50  Citizen Question. #5
“Who is invited to participate in the draft scope?”

36:51 – 38:16   Citizen Question.  #6
“Is more public comment time still on the table (30 days to 90 days?)”

38:20 – 39:29    Citizen Question.  #7
“Do comments outside of the Town of Ulster carry equal weight to the Town Board?”

39:40 – 40:19  Citizen Question.  #8
Is there an appeal process after SEQR decision is made?

40:20 – 41:33    Citizen Question.  #9
“When comments are submitted, can applicant pull out or the Town and say ‘this project is not for us?”

41:34 – 43:45   Citizen Question.  #10
“At what part of the process does the Town Board make a decision?”

“This is going to drag out”. Town Board Member Secreto

43:46 – 46:15  Citizen Question addressed to Town Board Member John Morrow

“Even though applicant answers all questions, and go through SEQRA review – couldn’t the board says ‘this is not a good project for the town?”   Citizen

“It is not our decision. It is a business decision for the applicant.” Town Board Member Morrow

“But quality of life is an important part of the purpose. That can’t be answered by the applicant, that should be answered by the Town Board.”  Citizen

“We can say ‘we think there’s going to be a quality of life issue’, but SEQR says there is not and then, the experts say there is not.” Town Board Member Morrow

46:20 – 47:23  Citizen Comment.  #11
“Who sets the standards?”

47:24 – 48:32. Citizen Comment.  #12
“Is there a benefit to the town to have this project?”

“The benefit is the tax income from project and…. my feeling is the way things are going right now with the environment is that battery cars, we are going to need alot more energy statewide, nationwide to charge all these batteries in these cars. If everyone had an electric car, we wouldn’t have enough energy to charge them” Town Board Member Morrow

“Sir, based on your comment, it seems like you think this is a positive project.”  Citizen

“No, I didn’t. Don’t misrepresent what I said.” Town Board Member Morrow

48:33 – 52:14   Citizen Question.  #13
“A cost benefit analysis would be a request to make during scoping, of the project. These are costly studies that the applicant would pay and include the impact on home values, quality of life (Community Character)”

“I invite the Town Board to come to our neighborhood and walk it with us.”  Citizen

52:15 – 54:20  Citizen Question.  #14
“How should comments be submitted?”

54:21 – 59:50  Comment to Board Member Morrow by Citizen
“Your comment about electric cars….this is an issue about where (the peaker plant) it’s being placed and also about fracked gas and oil….but if you’re moving towards electric technology, then you are moving away from fossil fuels – so why would the goal be to build infrastructure with oil and gas to power them that way?   It makes a difference how that energy is generated.”

“If this were a wind farm project, everyone would be saying the same things…we’d all be back in the same room”. Town Board Member Morrow

“We’re not talking about wind farms. We’re talking about a gas-fired power plant.”  Citizen

“All that gas you’re talking about, that comes from all different kinds of sources, we are all running it through our homes. We have no control where it comes from.” Town Board Member Morrow

“We’re looking towards the future here.” Citizen

“Diesel fuel is the safest and easiest thing to store.” Town Board Member Morrow

“But they want to burn it, John. That’s going to be a major impact to air quality.  We are running short on Natural Gas in this area. If this plant is being called to burn 24/7 then it will switch over to oil, and will have bigger emissions that the plant itself.”  Citizen

 

Click on IMAGE to view Video #2

00:00 – 3:18   Citizen Question.  #15
“Are the SEQR questions a specific set of questions?”

3:19 – 5:26  Citizen Question. #16
“At what point can an assessment be made of the success of this Glidepath with a project like what they are proposing here?”

“But they’ve never done a project like this before….” Citizen

5:27 – 13:19 Citizen Question. #17
“What can the public expect at the Scoping meeting on February 22?”

The question is answered by Town Board Members Morrow and Secreto.

13:20 –  15:10   Jeffrey Anzevino, Scenic Hudson
“A Scoping period isn’t a debate. It’s an opportunity for the public to make lists of questions that will need to be studied.”

15: 24 – 15:53  – Town Board Morrow re: Scoping meeting on 2/22
“If there needs to be more time, we’ll have an additional Scoping session.  The one on the 22nd doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end.”

15:54 -16:48  Citizen Comment. #18
“We need more time for the public comment period.”

“That’s something we can talk about when Jim (Supervisor James Quigley) when he comes back. We can talk about the 90 days. This will all be taken into consideration.” Town Board Member Morrow

16:49 – 21:50  Citizen Question. #19
“One of the permits you mentioned is an emission permit. I have heard that there is the possibility of their being tons of emissions that could be dispersed.  As far as the exhaust pipe, the taller the smoke stack the larger the dispersion. The lower the smoke stack, the more localized emissions will be. We are talking about emissions by the tonnage. Tons of emissions!  Even though this might pass the permit level, it is going to be much higher than what we have today in our community, which is currently at zero because we don’t have a power plant polluting.  Can DEC standards be challenged?”

“They (GlidePath) don’t know how long they would be running on gas, and how long running on oil.  We need to look at the maximum potential to emit air pollutants. If the plant could potentially be running 24/7,  then air pollution controls must be based on that and not two hours a day 3 days a week”.   Jeffrey Anzevino and Hayley Carlock, Scenic Hudson

21:51 – 22:10    Citizen Question.  #20
“Can we ask about the proximity of the plant to schools or day care centers?”

22:11 – 23:30  Citizen Question.  #21
“Can GlidePath be forced to consider alternative sites, or tell us what else they considered?”

“That’s why the Alternative Analysis is so important.”   

23:31 – 24:31 Citizen Question.  #22
“GlidePath has not purchased the proper yet and won’t until they are given permits, is that correct?”

“This is a business decision….you can’t expect them to make a bad business decision.”  Town Board Member Morrow

24:36. -25:46   Citizens for Local Power event announcement on 2/13

25:47 – 26:55  Citizen Question.  #23
“I see in the draft scope, there are two alternatives listed by the applicant.”

26:56 – 35:42  Town Board Members exit.
“How come the Town of Ulster Planning Board never saw Draft Scope before it was released? We’re moving so fast, we don’t have a good set of documents….how can we formalute questions without more of a concrete idea of what GlidePath intends to do?“ Citizen

“I don’t have the answers to any of these questions…the board was not involved in any of it.”  Town Board Member Morrow

(30:11)  “We’re looking at everything to do with this project to make sure it’s safe. If it’s not safe, we’re going to say no.”  Town Board Member Morrow

“If we are waiting to learn about the height of the smoke stakes from the DEC, why can’t you get that information before releasing the Draft Scope? it’s all premature!” Citizen

(31:40) “We didn’t agree on 90, 30, 60.” (regarding Public Comment) Board Member Secreto

“But isn’t the SEQR clock ticking for Scoping with the release of the Draft Scope on 2/1?” Citizen

“We haven’t agreed on anything.”  Town Board Member Secreto

“Right now it says 50 days.” Citizen 

“I don’t think the clock starts after after the first scoping meeting.” Town Board Member Morro

“No, it started ticking with the release of the scoping document”. Citizen

36:02 – 37:18  Citizen Question. #24
“Is the meeting going to be videotaped and can we organize a walk around the area where the project is being proposed?

37:19 – 39:27 Citizen Question. #25
“What should the public be looking for to make sure their questions are recorded?”

39:28 – 40:50  Citizen Comment. #26
“Be sure to look at part 1 and part 2 of the EAF to write your comments for the Draft Scope.  Part 1 has the most information, but part 2 describes the impacts of Part 1. They don’t always blend.

40:53 – 41:24. Citizen Question  #27
“Does the Town Board have an obligation to let us know they receied our comments?”

41:25 – 42:01.  Citizen Question  #28
“Is there a list of references to view for good comments?”

42:02 – 44:27  Citizen Comment. #29
“The Full EIS Part 1 was the most telling document. There are pictures of everything, questions are answered – some incorrectly.  For instance, they mention a 1500 buffer zone, but there isn’t a buffer zone. That’s the back of our properties.  It says there are no daycare centers or home for people with special needs. It’s not correct.”

44:28 – 45:00  Citizen Question. #30
“Can we ask the Town to make copies of the Draft Scope?”

45:01 – END   Closing thoughts
The public is encouraged to press for longer public comment period in Scoping.

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