Inergy wants risk assessment to be confidential

Inergy wants risk assessment to be confidential

    READING—Inergy LLC has provided the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with a quantitative risk assessment (QRA) for the proposed $40 million liquid petroleum gas storage facility in Reading. However, Inergy is also asking the DEC not to release the full review to the public. Previously, during two public comment sessions, many people called on Inergy to do the assessments.
David Bimber, deputy regional permit administrator for the DEC, said Inergy sent the QRA on Feb. 16 to the state. He added the DEC is reviewing the request and asking for more information on why the QRA should be confidential. Bimber explained QRAs can be made confidential and until a decision is made, the QRA will not be released.
    Inergy has also submitted more information addressing the state’s safety concerns, the brine pond redesign into two locations, and an application to the Army Core for the wetlands.
    The DEC had previously asked Inergy to change the proposal to include two brine ponds. Bimber added that Inergy would work more with U.S. Salt, which Inergy owns, in providing extra brine in the winter to push gas out of the salt caverns and to store excess brine so it is not in the ponds.
    Bimber said another change is moving the injection pumps and compressor closer to Seneca Lake. He said the original proposal for the machinery was nearer to Route 14, next to the entrance to the U.S. Salt brine pond. He said Inergy made this change in order to reduce noise.
    The DEC is still reviewing the comments received at the hearings and submitted via mail. Bimber said there is no time frame for completing the reviews, but a response summary will be released with the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). He explained the EIS will be completed when the DEC has all the information it needs from Inergy and makes a final permit decision.