Protest fleet rallies on Seneca Lake

WATKINS GLEN—A fleet of some 62 vessels, including kayaks, canoes, sailboats and motorboats, set sail from the Watkins Glen Village Marina at Seneca Harbor Park to protest the proposed Inergy Midstream Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) Storage Facility Saturday, June 22. Calling themselves the Seneca Lake Flotilla, the group says they are pro-clean water and a healthy environment, and rejects the idea of the proposed storage of natural gas in the underground salt caverns nearby the lake. Several other protestors have already been arrested in the past by attempting to block the entrance to the facility while protesting the plan.
Many of the boaters adorned their vessels with anti-Inergy and anti-fracking signs as they traveled along the western shore of the lake chanting phrases like “Whose lake? Our lake,” and “Inergy go home.” The fleet eventually made their way to just outside the U.S. Salt facility owned by Inergy located along the shoreline. There the protestors blew their horns and continued chanting to show their opposition to the plan while many along the shoreline looked on. Once the kayaks and canoes made their way to the salt facility, they were also joined by several other larger sail and motorboats.
The flotilla also had an arranged safety team amongst its members to be on the lookout should anybody encounter any danger along the way to the salt plant. The protest began leaving the harbor at noon, wrapping up at 2 p.m.