Business Council Expresses Support for Storage Project

The council CEO pointed out that, on a local level, the storage facility would bring jobs and tax revenue to some of the Upstate communities needing them the most. “The Finger Lakes LPG storage facility will create 58 construction jobs and 17 permanent jobs. It will also help retain more than 130 jobs at the century-old salt plant used to supply the brine required for LPG storage, and bring more than $600,000 annually through property taxes to Schuyler County. This is not an insignificant impact, and would go a long way toward improving the local job market and overall business climate in Schuyler County,” she said.

Briccetti added that, statewide, a quarter million residential consumers and thousands of businesses, schools, and municipalities rely on propane to heat homes and fuel operations. The lack of adequate propane storage means customers are subject to constrained supply and price volatility due to longstanding infrastructure constraints. “The Finger Lakes LPG storage facility would help end the local LPG supply gap that has plagued New York consumers during seven of the last 10 winters, costing New York households more than $130 million in the past two winters alone,” she noted.

Regionally, the storage facility would also have a positive impact by easing supply constraints across the Northeast and allow businesses to reduce uncertainty regarding propane supply, Briccetti said. She emphasized that approval of the storage, designed and engineered to standards far exceeding those of existing LPG facilities in the Finger Lakes area that have been operating safely for 60 years, would signal to businesses looking to invest across New York that if a project meets required environmental standards, it will be permitted. “In contrast, unnecessary permitting delays send a strong, negative signal to businesses looking to invest in New York,” she asserted. “Seven years of regulatory uncertainty for a safe, proven project is a discouraging prospect for any business looking to invest in this state.”