New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today issued a decision denying Finger Lakes LPG Storage, LLC’S applications for the construction and operation of a new underground liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage facility proposed to be located in the village of Watkins Glen in the town of Reading, Schuyler County. Commissioner Seggos denied the permit applications on the grounds the facility would have a significant adverse impact on community character in the local area and the Finger Lakes region. In evaluating the impact on community character, the Commissioner reviewed local land use plans, resolutions adopted by local municipalities in opposition to the project, and the area’s development of tourism, the wine industry, and agriculture as economic drivers.

The Commissioner determined that the record supported denying the project at this stage of the administrative process and noted four issues that raised significant concerns that would have otherwise required further adjudication—the proposed facility brine pond, integrity of caverns at the site, public safety preparedness, and availability of alternative sites, including the proposed volume of storage capacity, as well as the need for the facility.

No further proceedings are required with the denial of this project based on community character.