Storing Gas Under Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake is a jewel. She's a beautiful body of spring fed water in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Seneca is the source of fresh drinking water for 70,000 plus people. Seneca is also a recreational hub for its residents and tourists from all over the world. Her hillsides are home to some of the best wine grapes and wineries.

Those are the positives. It would seem that's what should drive any discussion about this gem of a lake. It should also be obvious that protecting the lake and its water is imperative. Our fresh water is one of the greatest assets we have in upstate NY.

For a number of years, an energy company, Crestwood Midland, has been planning and requesting authority to store Liquid Propane Gas and Methane Gas in salt caverns that exist under Seneca Lake. There have been arguments for and against their proposal and I've tried to follow both sides as they go back and forth with facts, purported facts and dueling engineering studies. In the end I just have to depend on my own gut and what logic tells me. It seems absolutely absurd to store gas in natural evolving caverns under a huge lake. It just doesn't make what I would call logical sense. The earth moves and shifts. We know that. Gas will move to fill new space and on and on.

But my logic doesn't seem to work in this case. Recently the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved Crestwood's proposal. The next phase of the approval process is a decision by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Perhaps they will think about my simple logic. Perhaps they will weigh the value of fresh drinking water and recreational uses of this beautiful lake against the monetary savings for a large corporation. Traditionally, LPG and/or Methane would be stored in large tanks but of course those cost money. So it looks like what we have here is a corporation looking for a less expensive way to do business, potentially at the expense of many others as well as the environment. Anyone who objects or opposes their plan is viewed as some kind of job killing, energy cost inflating weirdo and perhaps a communist to boot. Well I'm all of the above I guess, because this proposal just doesn't make any kind of logical sense to me.

I try to be a Lake Keeper. Someone who sees and understands the importance of this body of water to so many people. Someone who tries to protect Seneca for years to come for drinking and fishing and just plain enjoyment. There is so much pressure on our lakes and streams. All of us have to try to do more to protect them. It shouldn't be viewed as radical. It's just common sense and a recognition of the importance of our natural resources. If you want to read more about this project click on this article FERC Approves Methane Storage Project.