Millennium Gas Pipeline

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Media and Democracy.

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Millennium Gas Pipeline is an operating natural gas pipeline.

Location

The pipeline runs from Steuben County to Buena Vista, Rockland County.

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Project Details

• Operator: Millennium Pipeline
• Current capacity: 500 Million cubic feet per day
• Proposed capacity: Million cubic feet per day
• Length: 220 Miles
• Status: Operating
• Start Year: 2008

Background

The Millennium Gas Pipeline system in the state of New York covers approximately 220 miles, beginning in Independence, Steuben County to Buena Vista, Rockland County, just west of the Hudson river. The pipeline became operation in December 2008. Its capacity is currently 600 million cubic feet per day. Due to its location in the Marcellus Shale region coupled with increasing natural gas demand in New York, Millennium Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C, expects significant expansion in the future.

Expansion and Controversy

Millennium has planned a 7.8 mile expansion project which would provide 127 million cubic feet per day of gas to the Valley Energy Center plant in Wawayanda, New York. Reflective of similar cases of natural gas pipeline expansions in New York, the state had denied a key water permit for the construction of the pipeline. The denial of the permit by the state, which is allowed under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, contradicted FERC's initial approval of the project. However, in September 2017, FERC overruled the state of New York's water permit denial. Despite pipeline opponents' arguments suggesting that FERC has no authority to override New York's power due to Section 401, FERC legitimized its move based on procedural grounds. Since the New York regulatory authority failed to act within a year of FERC's approval of the project to deny the water permit to Millennium, FERC argued the water permit denial was nullified. The move does not necessarily deny the authority of states enshrined in section 401 of the Clean Water Act, but it does illustrate a potentially new aggressive stance by FERC. New York regulators are currently looking into the possibility of an appeal. The technical ruling by FERC could breathe new life into other suspended projects across the state of New York.