More arrests at Crestwood in Reading

READING--The Schuyler County Sheriff's Department arrested 21 protesters blockading the Crestwood facility along Route 14 in the town of Reading Thursday, May 26. This protest was part of the ongoing We Are Seneca Lake movement in opposition of Crestwood's proposed expansion of gas storage in unused salt caverns in the town of Reading. According to a We Are Seneca Lake press release, this demonstration was in response to the recent decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) decision to grant a two-year extension for plans to expand the methane storage at the site.
Forming a human blockade at the main entrance of Crestwood, the group included several family teams. The protests started at 6:45 a.m.and continued until their arrests by Schuyler County deputies shortly before 7:30 a.m. Protesters blocked all traffic from leaving and entering the facility, including two tanker trucks. Watkins Glen police assisted in the arrests. All 21 were transported to the Schuyler County sheriff's department, charged with disorderly conduct, ticketed and released. Of those arrested, two of the demonstrators were from Schuyler County and one was from Yates.
The protestors indicated most of the of public comments received by FERC expressed opposition to gas storage expansion, which amounted to 332 out of 335 comments. Crestwood's methane gas storage expansion project was originally approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in October 2014. The total number of arrests in the 19-month civil disobedience campaign now stands at 585.
Crestwood also seeks to store liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) in Seneca Lake salt caverns. This is awaiting a decision by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).