Today the Chenango Valley Central School District (CVSD) filed an Article 78 special proceeding in Broome County Supreme Court challenging the actions of the Town of Fenton Planning Board in approving the Site Plan for the NG Advantage, LLC proposed compressed natural gas (CNG) compressor facility at 65, 69 & 93 West Service Road in the Town of Fenton. The facility will extract natural gas from pipelines, filling specialized trucks with CNG, a highly flammable substance under up to 4,000 sq.ft. of pressure, and transporting it to CNG commercial customers. The current route for trucks leaving the facility is proposed to go directly past the Chenango Valley Middle School and High School.
CVSD, through their attorney, Meave Tooher of Tooher & Barone, LLP, Albany, NY, oppose the facility based on the safety and traffic hazards created for the students, staff and their families as a consequence of these activities. CVSD maintains that the Planning Board erroneously issued a negative declaration of environmental impact under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) finding that the project would have no significant environmental impact. CVSD submitted affidavits from Superintendent David Gill and former NYSDOT regional Director William Fitzpatrick stating that routing for the facility creates irreparable harm to the community in general and the school district in particular and the failure to complete a traffic study and evaluate the environmental and community impacts of the facility was arbitrary and capricious and erroneous as a matter of law. The district is asking that the site plan be revoked, the negative declaration be overturned and that this matter be returned to the Planning Board for a full environmental review.
Thank you,
David P. Gill
CVCSD Superintendent