State reps discuss gas storage, wages

DUNDEE--Some 15 people attended a town hall meeting held by Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I--Corning) and State Senator Tom O'Mara (R,C--Big Flats) Wednesday evening, Dec. 16. The representatives spoke briefly about things going on at the state level before opening up the floor to questions from the audience. The crowd brought up a range of issues during the meeting, focusing mostly on the Crestwood gas storage project in Reading and the impact of an increased minimum wage.
Barb Schiesser noted the several municipalities and businesses who had come out against the Crestwood project which plans to store liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in salt caverns along the shores of Seneca Lake in the Schuyler County town of Reading. O'Mara said how the discussion on this particular project has been going on for seven or eight years now, adding they are still waiting for the results of the issues conference. O'Mara put his faith in the department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to make the right decision.
Palmesano said he asked the DEC to be very diligent in reviewing this project, adding around 25 percent of households in both Yates and Schuyler Counties use propane for heat. He said has not come out publicly for or against the project, but wants to make sure it is being looked at thoroughly given what is at stake.
"The bottom line is we don't want it," replied Linda Schuler, who said the region is trying to focus more on promoting tourism than heavy industry. Reading resident Gita Devi agreed, adding the safety concerns with the project greatly outweigh its benefits. Others in the crowd also spoke about how the DEC seemed to be favoring Crestwood during the issues conference.
The pair also spoke about the increase of the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Palmesano said he has talked to many within the agriculture industry who said this could negatively impact them, adding it could lead to the loss of 200,000 jobs in the state. O'Mara added this could amount to 7,000 to 18,000 lost jobs just in the Southern Tier. Palmesano added the minimum wage is not meant to be a living wage, but rather a training wage that increases once somebody has been at a job awhile.
Some crowd members disagreed, saying minimum wage increases tend to benefit communities, as workers have more money to spend. While the representatives agreed "it is not all doom and gloom," it still motivates employers to replace certain jobs with automated labor.