Monticello, NY - Sullivan County Legislators Scott Samuelson (District 1) and Nadia Rajsz (District 2) are pleased to announce that the County tomorrow will release a new Request For Proposals (RFP) soliciting firms to conduct a baseline analysis of the current air quality, water quality and noise environment in and around the area where the proposed Millennium Pipeline compressor station may be sited in the Town of Highland.
Known as the Highland Compressor Station, the 22,400-horsepower facility is proposed to be built off Route 55 north of Eldred as part of the Millennium Pipeline Company’s Eastern System Upgrade. The company is currently seeking the required federal permission.
A number of residents and municipalities, including the Town of Highland, have expressed concern about and opposition to the project, and as a result, the County has sought to better understand the potential health and environmental impacts from such a facility. However, past attempts to solicit firms to scientifically evaluate those impacts have not led to an awarding of bids or proposals, so this new RFP is designed to elicit greater interest from qualified companies.
“Taking the initiative to create a baseline study of air and water quality and ambient noise levels in the Town of Highland is imperative,” Samuelson, who represents the portion of Highland in which the compressor would be located, stated. “There are no definitive data sources available to date, and should there be a question of any kind regarding the Millennium Pipeline compressor station in the future – should it be built – we will at the very least be able to assess it from an informed place. The health and safety of our residents is our ultimate goal, and it is our responsibility to fully understand all of our options.”
“I am very pleased with the cooperative efforts of the County Manager’s Office, Purchasing Department and Public Health Services to provide an RFP that I feel will be successful in not only gaining several proposals but also in achieving a baseline to guide us as the project moves forward and help preserve our quality of life,” agreed Rajsz, who also represents portions of the Town of Highland and chairs the Legislature’s Health & Family Services Committee.
For more information about this press release, please reach out to Sullivan County Director of Communications Dan Hust at (845) 807-0456.
