The “human blockade” is attempting to obstruct the building of a gas storage facility / photo from WeAreSenecaLake
10 Arrested Today Blocking Crestwood Gas Storage Facility At Seneca Lake
Watkins Glen, NY – Ten people were arrested earlier today for blockading Texas-based Crestwood Midstream’s gas storage facility gates on the shore of Seneca Lake. This marks the fourth week of the ‘We Are Seneca Lake’ civil disobedience campaign to stop the gas storage facility, which has seen a total of 35 people arrested so far, including Dwain Wilder who just finished serving 8 days in jail after refusing to pay the fine following his arrest. There have also been multiple rallies with hundreds of people and numerous winery owners, local businesses and health professionals.
The 10 people arrested today are: Beth Peet, 47, Hector, Jeff de Castro, 60, Trumansburg, Mark Sciblia-Carver, 62, Trumansburg, Richard John Koski, 71, Trumansbrug, Faith Meckley, 19, Geneva, John Abbe, 49, Eugene Oregon, Jimmy Betts, 30, raised in Omaha, currently living in Iowa, Jane Kendall, raised in Vermont, long-time resident of NYC, Michael Clark, 29, Cleveland, OH, Kelsey Erickson, and from Carlisle, MA, graduate of Cornell University.
Beth Peet of Hector, NY, said, “My government is not standing up for me. I am here, taking a personal day from work, because my government has failed me.”
Local residents were joined today by a number of participants of the Great March for Climate Action, a nationwide walk across the country, 3,000 miles from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. between March 1st and November 1st to demand action from leaders and every day citizens on climate change. After spending a week in Washington D.C. blockading the entrances of FERC’s headquarters every day, some of the Marchers came to the Finger Lakes, joined by local resident and fellow marcher Faith Meckley, to help stop Crestwood’s expansion project, approved by FERC.
Faith Meckley, 19, a journalism student at Ithaca College who was born and raised in Geneva, participated in the Climate March from May 24th in New Mexico until October 10th in Ohio, after which she came home to be a part of the movement to stop Crestwood’s ill-conceived project.
Meckley was arrested today as part of the blockade. Meckley said, “I am ecstatic to stand beside my fellow Climate Marchers as I put myself on the line to protect my home today. They come from all over the country and they are standing with me because they are my family and they want to protect me and my home. Their presence here goes to show that this is more than just a Finger Lakes or a New York issue. This is a national and even a global one. In a world where fresh, clean water is becoming ever more rare, we are sitting on a priceless treasure here that we may eventually have to share. We need to make sure that Seneca Lake and all the lakes are clean and healthy for generations to come.”
John Abbe from Eugene, OR, who was arrested today, said, “We have walked all the way across the country, from coast-to-coast, and in every state we witnessed cases of environmental and health devastation at the hands of industry. This region is unbelievably beautiful and worth more than all the money in the world. We are standing with Faith today to keep her home from becoming another industrial horror story.”
A large rally is planned this Wednesday, November 19 at 4:00 PM outside of the Town of Reading court, when the arraignment for 16 of the arrested protesters is scheduled, including nine of the ten residents first arrested weeks ago, among them Master Sergeant Colleen Boland-US Air Force (retired) of Elmira, Author and biologist Dr. Sandra Steingraber of Trumansburg, 76 year old mother and grandmother Jeanne Judson and her son Patrick of the Town of Burdett. A number of protesters expect to be incarcerated who plan not to pay their fines.
When: Wednesday, November 19 at 4:00 PM.
Where: 3914 County Rd. 28 Reading Center, NY 14876
What: Large rally and press conference featuring arrested protesters, winery owners, business leaders, health experts and more, followed by the arraignment of 16 protesters, some of whom expect to be incarcerated.
Read more about the arrested protesters at http://www.wearesenecalake.com/seneca-lake-defendes/.
Background:
Protesters have been blocking the Crestwood gas storage facility gates since Thursday, October 23, including a rally with more than 200 people on Friday, October 24th. On Wednesday, October 29, Crestwood called the police and the first 10 protesters were arrested. Yesterday, November 3rd, another 15 protesters were arrested. More information and pictures of the actions are available at www.WeAreSenecaLake.com.
The unified We Are Seneca Lake protests started on October 23rd because Friday, October 24th marked the day that major new construction on the gas storage facility wasauthorized to begin. The ongoing acts of civil disobedience come after the community pursued every possible avenue to stop the project and after being thwarted by an unacceptable process and denial of science.
The protests are taking place at the gates of the Crestwood compressor station site on the shore of Seneca Lake, the largest of New York’s Finger Lakes. The methane gas storage expansion project is advancing in the face of broad public opposition and unresolved questions about geological instabilities, fault lines, and possible salinization of the lake, which serves as a source of drinking water for 100,000 people. Crestwood has indicated that it intends to make Seneca Lake the gas storage and transportation hub for the northeast, as part of the gas industry’s planned expansion of infrastructure across the region.
*Note that the WE ARE SENECA LAKE protest is to stop the expansion of methane gas storage, a separate project from Crestwood’s proposed Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage project, which is on hold pending a Department of Environmental Conservation Issues Conference.
As they have for a long time, the protesters are continuing to call on President Obama, U.S. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Governor Cuomo, and Congressman Reed to intervene on behalf of the community and halt the dangerous project.
In spite of overwhelming opposition, grave geological and public health concerns, Crestwood has federal approval to move forward with plans to store highly pressurized, explosive gas in abandoned salt caverns on the west side of Seneca Lake. While the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has temporarily halted plans to stockpile propane and butane (LPG) in nearby caverns—out of ongoing concerns for safety, health, and the environment—Crestwood is actively constructing infrastructure for the storage of two billion cubic feet of methane (natural gas), with the blessing of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
More: Ithaca College student, 19, among 10 arrested at Seneca Lake gas protest