Goshen, NY – Orange County lawmakers voted unanimously last night to support a second lawsuit against Kiryas Joel to challenge the environmental review for the village’s proposed pipeline to the Catskill Aqueduct.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
County Executive Ed Diana announced last week, as a public hearing and Legislature vote on the issue were looming, that he planned to file a suit, so the 20-0 vote was a purely symbolic show of support for that decision.
Litigation filed by the county in 2004 forced Kiryas Joel to elaborate on four parts of its environmental review but allowed the village to do so with no further public comment.
Opponents contended the amendments made this year were inadequate and pressed for a second suit.
Legislators listened to two hours of arguments in support of a suit at a hearing in Central Valley Monday night, (as was reported here on VIN News), and heard another round of public comments before voting.
Sheila Conroy of Woodbury reiterated her arguments that Kiryas Joel has underestimated its rapid population growth to play down the “tsunami” of sewage it will send to the county treatment plant if it’s allowed to tap New York City’s water supply.
“Supplying inaccurate responses just to say that it is done does not satisfy the intent of the court decision or SEQRA,” Conroy said, using the acronym for the State Environmental Quality Review Act.
“Honest answers need to put out for all to look at,” she added.
Jonathan Swiller, leader of a Woodbury citizens group called OCEAN, argued that allowing the amended review to pass without scrutiny means that “anything filed, a still-deficient document such as we have here, a phone book, a blank sheet of paper, must be accepted. That is absurd.”
When it came time to vote, even Michael Amo, who represents Kiryas Joel on the Legislature, supported a lawsuit, saying, “Let’s let the courts make that decision if it will satisfy people, and then let’s move on.”
Diana has until July 31 to file the suit, which will be funded with money left from the $250,000 lawmakers authorized in 2004 to challenge the pipeline study. His office said in 2007 that the county had spent $126,806 on an outside firm that handled the case.
Ka’asher Ya’ani oso Kein Yifroitz…Be”h
Even the Satmer council member from KJ realized that this whole issue has gone out of control and threatens KJ’s future growth with the county. He wisely decided to defuse the issue by moving the decision process to the courts which have histotically been able to view these proposals on their merits without the political overlay of the political arrogance and simply dumb public relations the KJ community has shown. I fear that even the courts may have reached a point where KJ may no longer get a sympathethic ear so hopefully they have properly done these environmental studies. If not, there will be a great opportunity for anyone with a moving truck to help some ehrleche yidden relocate to Brooklyn.
To #2 : any other village or town in the history of New York State did not have the opposition that KJ is going thru with their plans…..check this out
Hi #3:
Despite the fact that klal Yisroel was hated throughout the generations you still side with the historic-jew-haters of Orange County against your own?
to#7
Can you name ONE illegal thing? אבי גערעדט, a statement without any grounds. just another Satmar hater.
in matter of fact, the village of KJ runs a 1000% kosher and leagel office. everything is being inspected and audited year after year to a 1000% satisfactory aproval.
this administration is working so hard to keep everything as the law requires, knowing how many people are after them to find them and get them in to trouble.
the ONLY problem they have is a bunch of antisemites from outside and ליידער ליידער from אחב”י
so cut the crap please. thank you
Without any first hand knowledge if this matter. It should be clear there is animus by Orange County to KJ. Why else would they be willing to go back to court?
And if KJ has something to hide why would they be willing to be named as a defendant? If OC is antisemitic then expose it or leave for EY. If there is chillul Hashem in KJ (Of any nature or type)be remedied and it be made known there is zero tolerance for Chillul Hashem.
saichel, no KJ official said that on talk radio, I am very involved and know what’s going on. don’t make them sound so stupid. thank you
if it is true what thay claim that the over cappacity from the sewer will cause to the county, they have a leginiment claim, so why not kj consider building their own sewer plant ?