William J. Kemble reports in The Daily Freeman that the Department of Environmental Conservation and Thruway Authority declared Sept. 14 that the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline project will have a “potentially significant impact on the environment.” The dual pipeline is proposed to run through Albany, Greene, and Ulster counties near I-87, carrying natural gas into New Jersey, and refined oil back to Albany. The DEC and Thruway Authority declaration means the proposal will undergo an extensive review under the the State Environmental Quality Review Act, with a required public comment period. The agencies cited 20 areas of concern, including the potential impact on agriculture and the possible contamination of water sources. “We’re encouraged by a decision ... that opens the door to a more thorough public review of the proposed Pilgrim Pipelines project, which, if allowed to proceed, could turn the Hudson Valley into a superhighway for transporting crude oil and other petrochemicals,” the Poughkeepsie-based group Scenic Hudson said Sept. 15. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.