See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Daily
Community groups that might have suffered gas pains over a plan to put a fuel pipeline through Floyd Bennet Field could finally be getting some antacid in the form of cold, hard cash — but some watchdogs fear that Big Gas is simply buying off its opposition.
The Williams Group, a company that wants to bury a natural gas supply line through Mill Basin and Marine Park, is offering $30,000 in grants to community groups this year — and promises to continue to do so for years to come? — once the federal government approves its plan to put in the pipe.
The grants will be handed out in two cycles per year of $15,000 each, and organizations based in proximity of the Williams Group projects will be given priority in the grant selection process. Among the eligible project categories are educational programs, purchasing of property for the purpose of conserving wetlands and wildlife, and aiding individuals, businesses, and public infrastructure still recovering from superstorm Sandy.
But just as the pipeline’s construction is contingent on the approval of the commission — so is the grant offer, according to a letter sent to Community Board 18 from Williams Group.
“This grant program is subject to change based on a final decision from FERC,” read a letter from the Williams Group to community leaders, which came as no surprise to some.
“They’re looking to show that they have good faith,” said Community Board 18 district manager Dorothy Turano. “If they get their project they’ll continue to have good faith and, if they don’t, the good faith runs out.”
The pipeline builder has taken flak from a number of local originations, including CB18, where board members were upset that Williams Group wanted to install industrial equipment at the nearby national park at Floyd Bennett Field.
Environmental activists have protested the project since was it was first introduced, and remain skeptical of any overtures of “good faith” proffered by the builder.
“The grant was made to buy people off,” said coastal watchdog Ida Sanoff, executive director of the Natural Resources Protective Association. “It’s public relations 101 — it’s called divide and conquer. Throw the opposition a few bucks, that way they’ll shut up.”
A recently released draft of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s environmental impact statement for the project was generally favorable, however, so the grants — regardless of their purpose — seem more than ever like a silver lining of a done deal.
“The draft gives you a very good insight into the way [FERC] views the project,” said Williams Group spokesman Chris Stockton. “So, the fact that the environmental impact statement was very clean, gives us reason to be optimistic.”