6
QUEENS WEEKLY, MAY 26, 2019
Cops revisit Elmhurst
man hit-and-run case
ASTORIA TIMES ■ BAYSIDE TIMES
FLUSHING TIMES ■ FOREST HILLS LEDGER
FRESH MEADOWS TIMES
JACKSON HEIGHTS TIMES ■ JAMAICA TIMES
LAURELTON TIMES ■ LITTLE NECK LEDGER
QUEENS VILLAGE TIMES ■ RIDGEWOOD LEDGER
WHITESTONE TIMES
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BY BILL PARRY
New York State rejected
the application for the
controversial Williams
Pipeline, also known as
the Northeast Supply
Enhancement Project, the
$1 billion pipeline that
would have transported
fracked natural gas from
Pennsylvania under New
York Harbor terminating
just over three miles off
Rockaway Beach.
More than 60 elected
officials — including
City Councilman Costa
Constantinides, state
Senator Joseph Addabbo
and Comptroller Scott
Stringer — had announced
their opposition to the 24-
mile pipeline along with
250 organizations and
nearly 20,000 who stand
against the project.
National Grid had
warned the pipeline was
necessary to provide
guaranteed service to new
gas customers, including
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s
$1.18 billion Belmont
Park redevelopment plan.
Environmentalists warned
the project would prolong
dependence on fossil fuels
instead of moving towards
a clean energy future and
that construction would
pollute the waters by
kicking up toxic heavy
metals in the sediment.
“As currently conceived
in the application,
construction of the NESE
pipeline project is projected
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to result in water quality
violations and fails to meet
New York State’s rigorous
water quality standards,”
the state Department
of Environmental
Conservation said in a
statement released on
May 15. “Specifically,
construction of the
proposed project would
result in significant water
quality impacts from
the re-suspension of
sediments and other
contaminants, including
mercury and copper.”
Stringer called the
decision a major victory.
“We’ve been outspoken
in opposition to the pipeline
from the beginning, and I
am so proud of the coalition
of dedicated advocates who
refused to have their voices
drowned out be entrenched
interests,” he said. “The
fossil fuel industry learned
an important lesson, they
are no match against the
people of New York. When
we fight back, we win.”
The fight is far from over
because the DEC rejection
was “without prejudice”
meaning the Oklahomabased
Williams Transco
could reapply.
“The Department of
Conservation raised a
minor technical issue
with our application
for water quality
certification,” Williams
Transco spokesman Chris
Stockton said. “Our team
will be evaluating the
issue and resubmitting
the application quickly.
We are confident that
we can be responsive to
this technical concern,
meet our customer’s inservice
date and avoid a
moratorium that would
have a devastating impact
on the regional economy
and environment.”
Read more at QNS.com
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Police are
reinvestigating a hit-andrun
in which an Elmhurst
cyclist was struck by
a car on the streets
of Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Paper,
a sister publication of
the TimesLedger, first
reported that around 5:30
p.m. on May 6, 22-yearold
Jason Gan was riding
his bike on Vanderbilt
Avenue towards
Willoughby Avenue when
he was side-swiped by
Nissan Altima with out-
0f-state license plates.
Gan told the Brooklyn
Paper that he was
running errands and
when he swerved to avoid
a double-parked car, the
driver honked at him.
Gan says that driver then
sped up and the car’s
mirror hit the bike’s
handle bar, knocking
Gan into the car’s back
panel before he hit
the ground.
Gan posted video
of the incident on his
YouTube channel.
He suffered minor
injuries to his arms and
legs as a result. Gan
believes that the driver
hit him on purpose
because the car passed a
cyclist that was behind
Gan without a problem.
The driver sped off after
the incident, which Gan
says could be because
a police car was 50 feet
ahead of them.
Reports say that
the 88th Precinct had
initially closed the case,
but are reinvestigating
after receiving
information about the
car’s license plate,
as reported in The
Brooklyn Paper.
Accidents involving
cyclists is an ongoing
problem in New York
City, particularly in
Queens. On the morning
of April 11, a cyclist was
riding near Maurice
Avenue and 69th Street
when he was hit by a
truck.
The victim was taken
to Elmhurst Hospital in
critical condition and
the driver remained at
the scene. Over a month
later, however, activists
believe that the NYPD
could be taking more
action in regards to
this incident.
In an effort to stop
future cyclist fatalities,
the DOT adjusted the
timing of the light at the
intersection on Borden
Avenue in Long Island
City where 53-year-old
Robert Spencer was
fatally struck by a car.
For more informtaion
about the Gan case, visit
brooklynpaper.com.
Reach reporter Emily
Davenport by email at
edavenport@qns.com or by
phone at (718) 224-5863 ext.
236.
A state agency rejected the Williams Pipeline application in
“major victory” for environmentalists but the project id not
dead in the water. Courtesy of Stop the Williams Pipeline Coalition
File photo
Controversial Williams
Pipeline project denied
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