Press conference comes as President Trump pushes for more fossil fuel pipelines in New York
Over 30 activists and elected officials gathered at Peekskill City Hall on Friday to demand that Governor Kathy Hochul stand up to President Donald Trump and stop Project Maple, a pipeline expansion that would endanger residents of Peekskill and the surrounding area. Elected officials highlighted the dangers the pipeline would bring to the New Yorkers’ air, water and climate as well as the increased costs to ratepayers who would foot the bill of any pipeline expansion.
Instead of expanding expensive, dirty fracked gas infrastructure, speakers urged swift passage of bills like the New York HEAT and Bucks for Boilers Acts, both of which would substantially lower household bills while moving New York State toward renewable energy. The push for these pieces of legislation comes as Con Edison has recently proposed a double digit rate hike for customers.
“Project Maple is a sweet-sounding name for a project that stinks,” said Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg. “We have worked so hard to make the area around Indian Point safer – why would we move backwards by co-locating more fracked gas infrastructure by this plant, along a fault line? I urge Governor Hochul to use her power to stop this proposed project in its tracks, and implore the regulatory authorities of the other states in Maple’s path to do the same. All of us in the proposed Project Maple area should instead re-double our efforts toward an affordable transition toward renewable energy.”
Peekskill Mayor Vivian McKenzie joined the press conference alongside Councilmembers Kathie Talbot and Brian Fassett to highlight their swift passage of a resolution against Project Maple. The village of Hastings-on-Hudson recently passed a resolution as well. Ossining Town Supervisor Liz Feldman was also in attendance at the press conference, and used her speaking time to announce that the Town of Ossining also intends to pass a similar resolution soon.
“Peekskill residents deserve to be able to live in a place that is healthy and affordable, where we are able to breathe,” said McKenzie. “This Council was glad to be one of the first councils to pass a resolution opposing Project Maple. We have had enough pollution; we do not need anything else here to undermine our residents’ health. We need to keep working together at a local level, at the state level and at the federal level to make sure we can do better for this community.”
“I have never been a fan of pipelines coming through this area. I have always thought that putting a gas pipeline under electrical wires, over a fault line, and through Indian Point was a really bad idea, and expanding it is an equally horrible idea,” said Feldman. “It will not benefit residents in our area at all, but it will add yet another environmental burden to an area that has more than its fair share of burdens. It would also encourage more fracking elsewhere, which poisons water sources in other parts of the country. I am strongly against this pipeline and the Town of Ossining Board is with me; we expect to pass a resolution next week.”
“While Donald Trump is trying to shove fossil fuel projects into our beautiful state, New Yorkers won’t stand for higher bills and added pollution from this expensive, dirty pipeline expansion,” said Santosh Nandabalan, Senior Climate Campaigner at New York Communities for Change. Instead of building out a fracked gas pipeline through Peekskill, Governor Hochul should instead push forward legislation like the Bucks for Boilers and NY HEAT Acts so we can afford to live here and breathe easy. The City of Peekskill is already overburdened by industry pollution–more fossil fueled MAGA driven policies are not what this city needs.”
