ALBANY, New York--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New York State is home to over 39,000 hardworking men and women of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA). These members continue to strongly support the $800 million dollar Constitution Pipeline project in Broome, Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie Counties. LiUNA also urges the NYSDEC to immediately issue the necessary water quality permits so that this project and its vast economic impact can move forward.
This vital energy infrastructure project will provide over 1,300 desperately needed local construction jobs while helping support nearly 1,000 indirect jobs in these counties. This project is expected to create nearly $130 million dollars of new local payroll in areas of the state that need it the most.
This project will not only provide work for our members, it will provide a much needed economic boost to our area. Constitution will generate millions of dollars in additional tax revenues for our cities and towns and will allow small businesses along the route and manufacturing in Sidney and Greene to keep their doors open.
The Constitution Pipeline project received federal (FERC) approval in December 2014 and has been hampered by continued delays and the failure of the NYSDEC to issue the necessary water quality permits. Tree clearing work has been completed in Pennsylvania right up to the New York State line.
“Incredibly, there are areas of Broome County in which you can see the tree clearing work being done in Pennsylvania. Yet, the political climate and horse-trading in Albany continues to keep New York and their workers literally and figuratively on the outside looking in,” said David P. Marsh. Business Manager of Laborers’ Local 785.
“Sadly, our members have waited for over a year for this project to begin, with nothing more than unfulfilled promises and continued delays from the state. We literally had members in Oneonta ready to begin this project with the peace of mind of a solid year of employment. Now, all we have is a lot of unanswered questions,” said L. Todd Diorio, Business Manager of Laborers’ Local 17.
“We’re talking real world consequences, where our members will have to scramble to pay their bills and try to maintain their family’s medical coverage. While a handful of environmentalists celebrate the continued quagmire in Albany, our men and women sit at home,” said Laborers’ Local 157 Business Manager Peter Stearns.
