A proposal to build a new natural gas pipeline from Binghamton to Syracuse has been scaled back due to a lack of interest from natural gas providers.
Millennium Pipeline Company wanted to construct the line from the Southern Tier to the town of Onondaga, just south of Syracuse, along Interstate 81, connecting three existing east-west lines. But now they’re considering just going from Binghamton to Cortland and connecting two lines.
"These pipeline projects are driven by demand," said Millennium spokesman Steve Sullivan and the customer demand for the northern part of the line wasn't there.
"In order for us to move forward with one of these projects, we have to have sufficient demand to go to the federal Energy Regulatory Commission and show them that there are customers who would contract with us to use a sufficient amount of that pipeline," he added.
Sullivan says they’re still determining if the southern half of the project, known as the Upstate Pipeline, has the demand to move forward.
An opposition group formed to fight the line argued it would travel through sensitive areas and increase infrastructure for hydrofracking. Sullivan says that opposition did not factor into the decision.
Sullivan offered no timeline for making any more decisions on the rest of the project.
