Concerns Raised Over Reading Salt Cavern Integrity

In a report recently released by investigative journalist Peter Mantius, he brings to light documents that were previously hidden from the public under confidentiality orders, that call into question the structural integrity of the salt caverns slated for gas storage by Inergy in the Schuyler County town of Reading. Gas Free Seneca Co-Founder Joe Campbell

An incident that occurred in 2001 in Kansas has Campbell and Gas Free Seneca members concerned.




There are abandoned brine wells in downtown Watkins Glen that could serve as conduits for gas. Campbell says Inergy has called information regarding the history of the collapse and the structural integrity of the caverns a “trade secret,” preventing information from being disclosed to the public, and downplaying the severity of these issues. The State Department of Environmental Conservation is still reviewing public comments about the project and there is no timetable for their official ruling.