In August, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) published an Environmental Assessment (EA) about potential environmental effects of the natural gas East Side Expansion Project by Columbia Gas Transmission LLC, a subsidiary of NiSource, in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. This FERC EA concludes that the project would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment and recommends the commission find “no significant impact” and require certain mitigation measures.

The project includes demolition of the existing Milford compressor station and construction of a replacement 13 times the existing capacity. A NiSource report lists the expected emissions per year of volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, greenhouse gases, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter (see www.NoMilfordCompressor.org). From the EA, it is expected that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) will be encountered during demolition.

Exposure to expected emissions could be devastating to human health and health care costs. During pregnancy, fossil fuel toxins reach the fetus and can permanently alter stem cells. Infants are born with a “body burden” of environmental chemicals. Human defenses are poorly developed in children; toxins may cause asthma and diabetes in later life. Industrial toxic chemicals have long half-lives, are poorly metabolized, are poorly excreted, persist and accumulate in human bodies. While children are most vulnerable, adults show the same adverse effects.

These disturbing findings and more were presented by three prominent physicians who study fossil-fuel pollutants at a recent conference in New York City (origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1109987088388-40/HF+CompressedFlyer(1)+copy.pdf).

An expert on volatile organic compounds in gas emissions and PCBs, David O. Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment, SUNY Albany, said that inhalation of chemicals can lower children’s IQs permanently, resulting in reduced cognitive function and adverse behavioral effects. Volatile chemicals are directly absorbed in the lung, and chemicals attached to particulate matter are retained in the lung. More adverse health conditions may occur from exposure to the expected emissions including respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and damage to the liver, kidney, immune system, reproductive system, nervous system and endocrine system. Air pollutants can accumulate in the body for years, with irreversible health consequences and health care costs for life.

Under the proposed project, people’s lungs would be subject to damage from radioactive radon gas emissions. Only smoking causes more cases of lung cancer than radon. Should Marcellus Shale gas travel through Columbia’s system, radon exposure could be up to 70 times greater than gas from other shales. Since Tennessee’s Northeast Upgrade Project, situated 700 feet from Columbia’s compressor site, began transporting gas last November, local residents report smelling gas daily. When trace amounts of odorant in gas can be smelled, it means that gas is present in ambient air along with radon and other toxic gases. No remedy of existing gas smell has occurred. This EA dismisses the risk of exposure to radon as “not significant” (2-94). This EA states “long-term operational emissions would result from the proposed new combustion equipment” at the station (2-89), and dismisses any cumulative impacts (2-111).

Contact your elected representatives to oppose this flawed EA for deficient measures of air quality, deficient mitigation requirements and dismissal of cumulative impacts. Demand a new Environmental Impact Statement. Because the Delaware Valley School’s property is less than five miles from the compressor site and fog forms over the schools, emissions must be fully measured and tracked before, during and after demolition and through operations. By not even considering electric engines for the compressor, this EA forces economic costs of chronic and debilitating diseases caused by fossil fuel pollutants onto the public.

[Linda Reik is a resident of Youngsville, NY.]