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our top 10 concerns
traffic
safety of our roads
safety of our roads
There will be a minimum of 80 haul trucks per day, 10 hours a day, 5 days a week for 6 months amounting to one every 7 minutes between Mattituck and the LIE
safety of our roads
safety of our roads
safety of our roads
Pedestrian, cyclist, and general road safety during the prolonged excavation and construction periods
mill road preserve
safety of our roads
mill road preserve
Negative impact on publicly owned 27-acre Mill Road Preserve that is adjacent to the site
local ecology
community character
mill road preserve
Irreversible impact on local ecology as a result of strip mining the hillside — the area is a home to endangered and species of concern
community character
community character
community character
Do two industrial style buildings, five times the size of the proposed Brinkman’s Big Box store, impact the viewshed and bucolic nature of the creek?
fire
community character
community character
The warehouses will be heated by a total of 8,000 gallons of propane, in addition to the hundreds of gallons of fuel each of the 88 yachts will hold in the buildings
water quality
noise & light pollution
climate resiliency
Surface water pollution, disruption of ground water wells, potential flooding, run-off and erosion
climate resiliency
noise & light pollution
climate resiliency
Lowering a coastal elevation by ~40' during unprecedented sea level rise
noise & light pollution
noise & light pollution
noise & light pollution
Substantial increase in noise and light pollution during and after 630 trees removed, 134,000 cu yds of sand removed, and 2 huge warehouses built
community benefit
community benefit
noise & light pollution
Who really benefits from this project?
reviewing the draft environmental impact statement (deis)
ask yourself:
You need not cover all of these considerations; they simply are a guide:
· Does the DEIS adequately describe the property and the landscape, including its relevant elements, such as existing structures, plant communities, wildlife, adjoining properties/resources?
· Does the DEIS adequately describe the project and how it will be constructed?
· Does the DEIS accurately describe the adverse environmental impacts of the project, during and post-construction? Consider direct impacts (such as removals), secondary impacts (reasonably foreseen results from direct impacts), and cumulative impacts.
· Does the DEIS offer adequate mitigation for adverse environmental impacts?
· Does the DEIS adequately describe loss of irretrievable resources?
· Does the document provide accurate, useful information to the lead agency on the extent of adverse impacts on the environment? Is it readable and easily understood as to the descriptions of the land, project, adverse impacts, and mitigation?
· Can the lead agency make a rational decision on the acceptability of adverse impacts of this project and the mitigation offered that is based on the information in the DEIS?
· Do the public benefits of this project outweigh the adverse environmental impacts?
· Should the lead agency prepare its own FEIS (Final EIS) using an independent contractor?
please note
You can participate and offer your comments on any topic covered in the DEIS to the lead agency without being an expert.
If you have expertise in a particular area covered by the DEIS, do include your qualifications.
You may have a unique perspective to offer the lead agency in its review of the DEIS.
Your comments may be in writing, orally if there is a hearing, or both
futher guidance on commenting
example letter
Dear Southold Town Planning Board,
I am opposed to the Strong’s Marine Development Project on Mattituck Inlet. I believe that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) does not adequately address [your concern(s) here] . The DEIS does not offer sufficient mitigation as it relates to my concerns [why you believe it does not].
Further, I have additional concerns about the significant increase in truck traffic and the dangerous impact it will have on our local roads.
I support the Planning Board rejecting this project and finding a better alternative.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
P.S. I would like my email to be part of the public record
Suggestions for effective communication
· Make your most powerful statements up front.
· Follow with your rationale.
· Use headings that match the topic areas in the DEIS (see its Table of Contents)
· Make substantive comments that relate to the DEIS. Simply stating opposition to a project is less effective than offering specific reasons related to the DEIS.
·Best to inform the lead agency of whether you think the DEIS is a good tool for decision making – and why or why not.
· In your conclusion, repeat your most powerful points and make any request of the lead agency you think appropriate.
Still have Questions?
We're here to help
Please feel free to reach out to us:
Need some pointers on commenting? check out our webinar
“Strong’s Storage DEIS: What’s Proposed and How You Can Be Part of the Process,”
Save Mattituck Inlet provided background on Strong’s Storage and highlighted some key points of the project’s draft environmental impact statement. Louise Harrison of Save the Sound applied her extensive experience as a professional environmental analyst and SEQRA practitioner in a presentation on how to evaluate and respond to a DEIS and how to engage as a citizen in the process.