On Friday, activists from Stop the Pipeline and the Center for Sustainable Rural Communities toured the latest route proposed for the Constitution Pipeline.
The group, with permission from area landowners, examined the ecological features that would be negatively impacted by the proposed pipeline.
The Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic will use this information to prepare a response to environmental impact statements made by the pipeline company and federal regulators.
The pipeline is proposed to run for 120 miles, including a route through the heart of Schoharie County, where landowner resistance is high.
If the pipeline is approved, homeowners could have their land taken through eminent domain.
Wayne Stinson, a Summit landowner who participated in the tour said, this was important, not just for the individual impacted landowners, "but for the neighboring property owners and the larger communities threatened by the pipeline as well."
Bob Nied, a member of the Board of Directors or the Center for Sustainable Rural Communities, said of the tour: "This is part of a collaborative effort between citizens groups from Pennsylvania to eastern Schoharie County.
We intend to develop a comprehensive understanding of the potential impacts of this proposed pipeline and clearly articulate those impacts to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission."
"It's critical that we learn as much as possible from landowners because no one understands the land like the people who live and work on it," said Anne Marie Garti, who is coordinating the relationship between Stop the Pipeline and the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic.
"That includes touring properties to discuss social and environmental problems that are being dismissed or overlooked by the pipeline company."
The Center for Sustainable Rural Communities and Stop the Pipeline have both designated representatives to assist landowners on or near the proposed pipeline route. Contact information for both groups is available on-line.