DOVER – Environmental groups are claiming victory after a recent court decision reversed a Town of Dover Planning Board approval for an electricity substation to be constructed in Eastern Dutchess County.
Transco has been trying to construct the substation, known as a “Phase Angle Regulator” on Route 22 in Dover. The Transco site is adjacent to a portion of the Great Swamp, a National Historic Landmark. The site had been used as a junkyard for two decades before Transco’s interest in the parcel.
The opponents to the substation had argued that the Town of Dover Planning Board failed to take a “hard look” at the potential for contaminants on the Transco parcel, despite receiving several expert opinions seeking an in-depth study of potential contaminants on the property and a request from the US Fish and Wildlife Service to delay the project until they could render an opinion.
The planning board did not wait and issued a negative declaration, claiming that the construction would not have any negative environmental impacts on the Great Swamp despite knowing that the Transco parcel drains into the north flow of the Great Swamp which is considered a “critical drinking water source” for the region.
Several organizations including the Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS) sued to force the planning board to require further testing on the parcel before construction could move forward.
Supreme Court Justice Thomas Davis agreed with the petitioners, nullifying the board’s approval of the project and sending the project back to the board for it to take a “hard look” at the areas of environmental concern.
“This victory is a testament to the strength and determination of our community. We came together with a shared goal — to protect the land, water, and biodiversity that sustain us,” said Charlie Quimby, founding member of Concerned Citizens of Dover, one of the groups that sued. “We believe in responsible progress and have hope that…
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