Talking Point

A map, provided by the writer, with the blast radius of the proposed gas pipeline at both partial and full pressure.

We’re facing an even bigger problem than fracking

By Jennifer Davis

Re “Keep attacking fracking” (letter, by Catherine Feliz, March 17):

I agree wholeheartedly that the process of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) to release natural gas is toxic and should be halted immediately. However, the Meatpacking District and our beloved West Village face a much more ominous and direct threat from the gas companies.

Spectra Energy, operating through its subsidiaries as Texas Eastern Transmission, LP and Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, is currently pushing for approval of a proposed 30-to-42-inch, high-pressure gas pipeline, which will run through the cities of Linden, Bayonne and Jersey City in New Jersey and Staten Island, and enter Manhattan at Gansevoort St. and the West Side Highway. This is steps away from the High Line, The Standard, Chelsea Market, the Chelsea Piers and a host of other tourist destinations, not to mention the heavily trafficked West Side Highway.

As a resident of the West Village, I am extremely concerned by the lack of knowledge of most of my neighbors about this proposed pipeline. You can find more information at http://bit.ly/gQxczz or “Sane Energy Project” on Facebook.

This proposed pipeline would be the same size and have the same pressure rating as the pipeline that was responsible for the deadline Pacific Gas & Electric explosion in San Bruno, California, on Sept. 9, 2010. The San Bruno pipeline was running at partial pressure when it exploded, killing eight, injuring more than 20, and igniting a blaze that destroyed 38 homes and damaged 120 more. The suburban neighborhood of San Bruno is much less densely populated than New York City, and a similar explosion here would have far more devastating results.

Besides the very real risk of explosion, gas pipelines leak toxins and are targets for terrorism. Compressors and metering stations for the pipeline release poisons into the atmosphere. The danger from leaks and explosions is now amplified for residents and visitors, since there is no longer an emergency hospital facility on the Lower West Side of Manhattan.

Additionally, the need for natural gas in Manhattan is being overstated, and conservation methods underutilized. The city is in the midst of converting boilers, buses and power plants to natural gas, at the same time that it is recognizing how dangerous gas drilling is for the air and for New York City’s water supply.

The West Village and the Meatpacking District are treasures of this city. People come from all parts of the world to enjoy our peaceful historic streets, active nightlife and beautifully preserved architecture. This neighborhood was saved from the wrecking ball once. Should it now be threatened for corporate interest?

Instead of complicity in endangering its citizens and destroying the environment, New York City should take its place as a true world leader, stepping away from fossil fuel and toward a future of renewable energy. The technology is out there. It’s a shame our leaders don’t have the vision to see it or the courage to embrace it. It is up to all of us to help them open their eyes.