This letter is intended to provide information about the negative impacts to air quality from the proposed compressor station in West Milford.
During blowdowns, hundreds of pounds of gas and other chemicals are emitted, posing not only a threat to the diverse ecosystem but the people living nearby.
The blowdown releases a gas plume, extending 40-60 meters in the air and can last up to three hours. People living nearby have reported incidents of odors, burning eyes, headaches and coughing, surely with unquantifiable long-term adverse health impacts.
The associated health impacts from compressor station emissions are notably understudied and concerning — including chronic respiratory issues, cardiovascular issues and heart attacks, neurological issues, cancer and reproductive and development toxicity, among others.
Compounding these factors, the EPA has stated that “emissions typically increase over time as the compressor components begin to degrade.”
With all of this in mind, and the other concerns which can be found online at the DelawareRiverkeeper.org, it is clear that this is the wrong project for our community.
The beauty and relative clean air and water encourage visitors to travel to West Milford and support our local businesses.
I believe that the Highlands region and our local community should not be degraded by this project. It is simply not possible to fully detail all the negative impacts of this project in a few words but I ask that you please consider sharing your concern to Governor Murphy and F.E.R.C. who has the authority to stop the project.
Lucas Slott
Hewitt