September 19, 2016 Basil Seggos, Commissioner New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233 Bill Finch, Acting Executive Director New York State Thruway Authority Administrative Headquarters P.O. Box 189 Albany, NY 12201 Dear Commissioner Seggos and Executive Director Finch: New Yorkers, and particularly residents along the direct route of the proposed Pilgrim oil and petroleum products pipelines, have broad concerns about, and growing opposition to these two dangerous pipelines. As the state environmental review process moves forward, we, the undersigned organizations, urge that the opportunity for public comment during the scoping process be commensurate with the enormous scale, scope, and intensity of the project and its potential impacts. Because communities along the direct route risk being damaged forever, past the point of ecological or economic recovery, we ask that public meetings be held in each of the counties along the route, as well as a meeting in a community along the “bomb train” route that would supply crude oil to these pipelines, and one in New York City. We ask for a 90 day comment period for the scoping process because the complexity and variety of concerns requires residents and municipal leaders to undertake timeconsuming research associated with the proposal and the vast number of threats it poses, including:       

the pipelines’ proposed route (which keeps changing); proposed drilling under or through 232 waterways; economic, physical, and environmental damage due to the construction of hundreds of temporary and permanent access roads; air emissions and health impacts during the construction phase; destruction of wetlands, forests, farms, and floodplains due to drilling, potential spills, and the operating temperature of the pipelines; impacts on unique cultural, biological, historic, and archaeological resources, and, large-scale impacts contributing to climate change;

It is critical that you initiate a 90-day comment period because only issues raised during the scoping process can be addressed throughout the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process; the Draft Environmental Impact Statement is not required to address new issues raised after a Final Scope has been issued. Moreover, the vast majority of New Yorkers who would be grossly impacted by the pipelines do not yet know about or comprehend the risks to their lives and wellbeing. The scoping process must provide adequate time and opportunity to engage not only those along the pipelines’ direct route, but also Thruway drivers and those who live in New York City and other communities threatened by climate change. Because “bomb train” traffic into Albany would increase in order to service the Pilgrim pipelines, those who live along the oil trains route also need extra time, and a public meeting, to articulate this additional risk. Because the Pilgrim pipelines would threaten the health and safety of millions of people and bring cascading, cumulative negative impacts far into the future, we ask that: 1. DEC make an extraordinary effort to maximize public engagement regarding the scoping process, to make all the meetings and comment deadlines widely known, beyond the usual methods, and to help the public understand the significance of their opportunity to participate in the scoping process. 2. Ninety days is the minimum length of time for public comment on the scoping process for these hazardous proposed pipelines. 3. Meetings be held in Rensselaer, Albany, Greene, Ulster, Orange, and Rockland Counties, specifically in the cities of Albany, Rensselaer, Kingston, and Newburgh. 4. A meeting be held in New York City, which has nothing to gain from these climate-altering pipelines and whose water supply system will be crossed by both pipelines. 5. At least one meeting be held along the route of the oil by rail traffic, which would increase to service the pipelines (such as Saratoga Springs, Buffalo, Utica). If New Yorkers are not provided adequate opportunity to comment on the scope of the assessment of this dangerous project, the well-being and integrity of New York State itself will not be served. Thank you for considering these requests. Sincerely,

350Brooklyn

Clean and Healthy New York

ADK Mothers Out Front

Climate Justice

Agritech Consultants, Inc

CODEPINK NYC

Albany Bicycle Coalition, Inc.

Cody Creek Farm

All Our Energy

Compost International

Alliance for a Green Economy

Concerned Burlington Neighbors

Anchorage Farm

Concerned Citizens of Montauk

Appalachian Mountain Club Ashokan Architecture & Planning, PLLC

Concerned Citizens of Otego Concerned Health Professionals of New York Concerned Residents of Portland, NY Plus People Like Us (CropPlus) Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action, Manhattanville College, Purchase NY

Athens Antiques Athens Citizens Development Committee (ACDC) Atina Foods Aytzim: Ecological Judaism BeanCounters Unlimited Bethlehem Ecodefense Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition Board of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills Bridge Street Theatre Campaign for Renewable Energy Capital Region 350 Carbon Squeeze Catskill Mountainkeeper Center for Sustainable Rural Communities Central Park West CSA Church Women United in New York State

Coydog Vintage Crossroads Brewing Company CUNY Center for Urban Environmental Reform Damascus Citizens for Sustainability Daughters of Wisdom US Province Deep Green Resistance New York Democracy for NYC Dominican Sisters Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration (Amityville, Blauvelt, Caldwell, Hope, Sparkill) Dryden Solutions Earth Day Initiative Earth Guardians New York Earthpeace

Citizen Action of New York

Earthworks

Citizen Science Community Resources Citizens Energy and Economics Council of Delaware County

ECHO Action

Citizens for Local Power

Elders Climate Action

Eco-Logic, WBAI-FM Eco-Poetry.org

EmJay Cleaners

Last Experiment LLC

Environmental Advocates of New York Environmental Justice and Social Action Committees of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady

Leslie Bender Open Studios

Environmental Justice Task Force Esopus Creek Conservancy Faith in New York Fellowship of Reconciliation

Maetreum of Cybele, WLPP-LP Manhattan Central Medical Society Marathon Jewish Community Center Mariandale Retreat and Conference Center Maud Rosie McLaughlin, LMHC

Fossil Free Tompkins

Mermaids For Microgrids Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement

Frack Action

Mid-Hudson Sierra Club

Frack Free Catskills

Middlefield Neighbors

Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement

Millennium Sunline Design

Freehold Art Exchange, Inc.

Mirror Records

Friends of Hudson

Mohawk Valley Keeper

FUREE

Mothers Out Front NY - Southern Tier

Glenco

Music for the Masses

Grail Climate Action Circle

National Ethical Service Neighbors of the Onondag Nation/Syracuse Peace Council

Food & Water Watch

Grassroots Environmental Education Green Party of Nassau County Green Sanctuary Committee, CCNY, UU Hazon HealthyPlanet Hudson River Playback Theatre, Inc. Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, inc. Hudson Valley Dessert Company Ida's Natural Toys IMBY In the Weeds Landscaping

New Baby New Paltz New Paltz Climate Action Coalition New York Communities for Change New York Conference, United Church of Christ New York Interfaith Power & Light New Yorkers Against Fracking No Extreme Energy Extraction

Jeff Boyer Productions John Burroughs Natural History Society

Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson North American Climate, Conservation and Environment Northeast Organic Farming Association

Kapiwolf

Northern Tuxedo Residents

Ithaca-SHIP.org

Association

Rivertide Aikikai

Nuts for the Rainforest

Rochester Defense Against Fracking

NY Buddhist Climate Action Network

Rochester People's Climate Coalition

NYC Safe Energy Campaign

Rockland Sierra Club

NYCLASS

Sacred River Healing Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus

OCPeace and Justice Olive Defense Against Fracking Orange County Peace & Justice Orange Residents Against Pilgrim Pipelines Orr Media Company OWSNYCGA PaddleHead Boards Pagan Environmental Coalition Palaia Vineyards & Winery Park Slope Action for the Environment PAUSE - People of Albany United for Safe Energy Peace & Social Action Committee of Cornwall Monthly Meeting Peacemakers of Schoharie County People for a Healthy Environment People Not Pipelines People of Albany United for Safe Energy - PAUSE People's Climate Movement-Capital Region Pippy's Hot Dog Truck and Catering, LTD PlantoSavethePlanet.org Protect Orange County Protect the Adirondacks Ramapough Lunaape

Safe Energy Rights Group Sane Energy Project Sara Roosevelt Park Community Coalition Saugerties Democratic Committee Save the Putnam Trail SEnRG Shadow Supply, Inc. ShaleshockCNY Sharada Persian Cats Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group Sierra Club Niagara Group Sisters of Charity Federation Sisters of Charity Global Poverty Task Force Sisters of Charity of New York Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, New York Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Solid Ground Farm Solidarity Committee of the Capital District South Asian Fund For Education,Scholarship &Training (SAFEST)

ResistSPECTRA

South Shore Audubon Society Southern Cayuga Anti-Fracking Alliance

Riverkeeper

Sparkill Creek Watershed Alliance

Rensselaer Community Action

St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo Episcopal Church Sterling Forest Partnership Stop NY Fracked Gas Pipeline Stop the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion StopMCS Strawtown Studio Sullivan Area Citizens for Responsible Energy Sustainable McDonough Sustainable Tompkins Sustainable Warwick Syracuse Community Choir Syracuse Cultural Workers The Healing Arts Studio Church and Ministry The Ramapo River Committee The Wei

Tuxedo Silver Dollars Seniors Unitarian Universalist Women's Association - Metro NY District Unitarian-Universalist Women's Association United for Action Unity Dance Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk, U.S. Province Ursulines of the Roman Union Eastern Province UU Congregation of Binghamton Green Sanctuary Veterans for Peace Voters Occupy Wallkill River Watershed Alliance Warren County Green Party Wellspring Forest Farm

Theater Three Collaborative Thereforever Tattoos

WESPAC Foundation West Branch Conservation Association

The South Shore Democratic Club

Windrift Hall LLC

Thompson Organization

WNY Drilling Defense

Three Parks Independent Democrats

Woodstock Jewish Congregation

Tinker Tree Play/Care

ZAMO!

Torne Valley Preservation Association

Zen Mountain Monastery

TriStates Unite For Safe Energy

1026 Kings Highway, LLC

Cc: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo NYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224 Matthew J. Driscoll New York State Department of Transportation Department of Transportation 50 Wolf Rd. – 6th Floor Albany, NY 12232

Judith Enck EPA Region 2 Commissioner 290 Broadway New York, NY 10007-1866 Jeffrey Zappieri Coastal Resource Specialist NYS Department of State Division of Coastal Resources 99 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12231 Thomas G. Echikson Federal Highway Administration Chief Counsel Room E82-328 (HCC) U.S. Department of Transportation 1 200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590-9898 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers NY Regulatory District 26 Federal Plaza, Room 1937 New York, NY 10278 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 3817 Luker Rd. Cortland, NY 13045