Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/365438
W i n e s & V i n e s s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 71 N E W S O F G R A P E S A N D W I N E S I N E A S T E R N N O R T H A M E R I C A Can Wine and Natural Gas Coexist? Finger Lakes winemakers ask governor's help denying permits for proposed storage facility A lbany, N.Y.—Winemakers and busi- ness owners from the Finger Lakes region have requested that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo block the permits for proposed natural gas and liquid petroleum gas storage facilities near Lake Seneca. The Houston, Texas-based energy company Crestwood Midstream Partners, which in 2012 acquired US Salt LLC in Reading, N.Y., wants to utilize abandoned salt caverns to store the gas. The company has submitted permit applications with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and that department is completing an environmental review of the project. Nearby winery owners are concerned that the proposed storage facility could bring increased truck traffic and pollution to the area and threaten local jobs and businesses that depend on the region's thriving wine industry. Currently there are 86 wineries located in the four counties bordering Seneca Lake. The wine and grape industry in New York has an economic impact on the state's economy totaling $4.8 billion. Doug Hazlitt, owner of Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards in Hector, N.Y., on the east side of Lake Seneca, said, "We thank Gov. Cuomo for helping to promote the Finger Lakes wine and tourism that has helped us to achieve success.... The risk of an accident should these projects get approved is not an acceptable risk. It threatens my family's livelihood and the jobs that we create." According to one local winemaker, who asked to remain anonymous, gas has been stored in salt caverns for more than 50 years. "As long as we want to have gas for cars and gas to heat houses, we have to store it somewhere," the winemaker noted, "but don't do it until you can do it safely. If it's not in my backyard, it has to be in someone else's backyard." Attorneys for Gas Free Seneca think that the decision concerning the LPG facility is in the hands of Gov. Cuomo, and that he will have the final word. Others think that the DEC may not have the final say on the use of the Reading salt caverns for gas storage. According to a Reading Planning Board member, the salt caverns lie in the Seneca Lake Protection District within the town of Reading, and the Reading land-use laws clearly state that gas cannot be stored. —Linda Jones McKee winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Finger Lakes gas." I N T H E N E W S p 7 1 W I N E M A K I N G p 7 3 G R A P E G R O W I N G p 7 6 - B E C O PA D - Y E A S T & E N Z Y M E S - C R U S H PA D E Q U I P M E N T - S T E R I L E F I LT R AT I O N - W I N E R Y H O S E - O A K A LT E R N AT I V E S Case By Case Wine and Grape Supplier Your Source for World Class Wine Grapes and Bulk Wines Serving wineries nationwide on a Case By Case basis East and West Coast varieties available: R Winegrapes R Bulk Wine R Juice R Shiners Jim, Owner Northern California Office (707) 671-4126 • jim@casebycasebrokers.com Tom, Domestic and International Sales Southeast Office (864) 401-2297 • tom@casebycasebrokers.com www.casebycasebrokers.com