By DAVID HULSE

LACKAWAXEN - Pipeline opponents were all dressed up with nowhere to go last Wednesday in Lackawaxen and the frustration was evident.

Those opposing the proposed Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (TGP) pumping station in Bohemia had been preparing for weeks prior to a scheduled September 15, public hearing, but TGP withdrew at the last moment to file their local applications anew. That could be again in November, "but we'll deal with it if and when they come back in," Township Solicitor Jay Rose said.

Rose's explanation was not good enough for opponents spokesman Ron Perry, who charged that TGP much earlier, on August 24, notified the township that it would change the station's pumping power source from gas to electric, a major change in the application which would require a new review. "Why wasn't I notified?" Perry asked.

Rose said he had asked the attorney who represents Fawn Lake to make notifications, but Perry said the pipeline issue is being handled by another attorney. "Another mistake," he charged.

Perry insisted that the supervisors, rather than their solicitor, respond when he asked why they met in closed executive session with two consulting firms hired to review the project.

Chairman Brian Stuart said the supervisors met in a workshop session with the planners. One of the reports from Quad-Three Group (QTG) offered information in "an infantile form," Stuart said.

Perry charged that the QTG report offered incorrect information about wrapping materials used to insulate the pipeline buried in Lackawaxen in the 1950's. He said federal regulators have recommended abandonment of older pipelines and provided photographs of the original pipe being back-filled with material containing large rocks. "Those rocks would punch through the tarring material they used then. The pipeline hasn't been protected from corrosion," Perry said.

Supervisor John McKay said it was apparent that TGP had decided to re-file because it would not meet noise and air quality demands.

Rose, for the supervisors, issued a September 11 letter to TGP expressing concerns about the company's emergency response planning and asked for documentation about the condition of the pipe, if increased gas pressure was being considered.

Township consultant Michael Wood challenged TGP sewage planning that would accommodate far more employees than the company says will be on the site. Wood also questioned TGP emergency planning and compliance with local noise ordinance among the highlights in a lengthy report.

Wood's original report contained a direct recommendation for denial of the project, based on its incomplete application, but that paragraph was struck from the publicly released report.

McKay said Wood was not asked for a conclusion, so the conclusion was not used.