Pipeline? What Pipeline?

The Daily Star, Oneonta, NY - otsego county news, delaware county news, oneonta news, oneonta sports
December 14, 2010
Officials: Pipeline locations classified
By Tom Grace
Cooperstown News Bureau

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Does the public have a right to know where gas pipelines are situated?

Apparently not, according to Preston town Supervisor Peter Flanagan, chairman of Chenango County's Natural Gas Advisory Committee.

At the committee's Nov. 30 meeting, officials were told that pipeline maps are classified information, shared only on a need-to-know basis, he said.

Flanagan said he has tried to get maps from Norse Energy, which wants his board to agree not to disclose the information publicly.

"I'm not really comfortable with that," he said.

Flanagan and Smyrna town Supervisor James Bays also asked Matt Beckwith, the county's emergency services coordinator, for pipeline maps.

Bays said Monday that Beckwith stated that because of Homeland Security regulations designed to keep infrastructure information from terrorists, he could not share this information with the public.

"I can understand the concerns -- a lot has changed since 9/11 -- but we need to know where these pipelines are," he said.

Bays said his town board plans to review the maps with Norse personnel in executive session to comply with the company's request. Officials will not be given copies of maps, he said.

Beckwith did not return a telephone call Monday.

His counterpart in Otsego County, Lyle Jones Jr., said he has seen the Homeland Security restrictions, which were added after the 9/11 attacks.

"After that, it became a lot harder to get maps," he said.

Dennis Holbrook, executive vice president at Norse Energy, said his firm wants to cooperate with officials who need to know where pipelines are, but does not want this information given to the public.

Holbrook said: "You know, some of the people who are opposed to the gas wells are opposed to the pipelines, too. They might do some mischief."

But emergency services personnel, firefighters and others will get the information they need, he said.

Norse Energy is also part of the One-Call system, where contractors can dial a number and find out where pipelines are before excavating, Holbrook said.

Each pipeline is marked at road crossings, as well as at other points on its route, he said.

Jones said that any terrorist who wanted to blow up a pipeline and was able to get around the area would be able to find a pipeline.

Adrian Kuzminski of Sustainable Otsego said the policy of withholding maps from town residents is "outrageous."

"They're keeping this a secret because they don't want people to know what they're doing," he said. "As for terrorism, everywhere you look, there are targets, schools, hospitals, colleges, reservoirs, buses. Are we going to classify everything we have until we have no right to know anything?"

Stephen Harris, Chenango County's Real Property and Tax director, said the county's assessors are also seeking disclosure from Norse Energy so they can identify where pipelines run on properties.