Algonquin gas pipeline wins feds' OK

• The expansion will allow an increased flow of natural gas from Ramapo to the Northeast

A federal agency has given its approval to the Algonquin natural gas pipeline expansion in New York.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order Tuesday issuing a certificate for Spectra Energy's Algonquin Incremental Market Project stretching from New York through Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The expansion will allow an increased flow of natural gas from Ramapo to various cities' delivery points in the Northeast.

"We are pleased that the certificate has been issued," Marylee Hanley, spokeswoman for Spectra Energy, said in a statement.

"We are committed to responsible development, reliable operations and respectful, ongoing engagement with the communities we serve," she said. "The AIM Project will bring natural gas from domestic supply sources to meet regional demand, connecting homes and businesses with an environmentally attractive, cost-effective energy alternative."

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation still has to issue permits to Spectra Energy for work in the state. The DEC's representatives could not be reached for comment, but they can't block the project.

"The Commission encourages cooperation between interstate pipelines and local authorities. However, this does not mean that state and local agencies, through application of state or local laws, may prohibit or unreasonably delay the construction or operation of facilities approved by this Commission," FERC's order stated.

Susan Van Dolsen of the group Stop the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion said she was disappointed that FERC would issue the certificate in light of what she said were unanswered questions about the impact of a major pipeline breach near the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

"There's no proof they can protect the nuclear plant and the people living in Westchester," she said.

Van Dolsen said FERC was rubber-stamping the plan without enough evidence.

"I'm dumbfounded that FERC could just be blithely going ahead," she said.

Both Entergy, Indian Point's operator, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have written to FERC stating that the pipeline would not endanger the power plant even if it exploded at its closest point to the plant.

Verplanck resident Bernard Vaughey, who wrote to FERC to voice opposition, said he and his collaborators have to consider other options.

"We have to go to our state officials because it appears our federal officials have not done what they could," Vaughey said.

FERC's 67-page document essentially stated that most opponents' concerns were adequately addressed by the project's environmental impact statements and proposed remediation efforts.

Staff writer Elizabeth Ganga contributed to this report.

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