10/09/2026
Letter Being Sent To The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters On Propel
October 9, 2026
Christopher W. Minck
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – New York District
Regulatory Branch
RE: Formal Opposition to Permit Application No. NAN-2024-00408-MMI – New York Transco LLC / Propel NY Energy Project
Dear Mr. Minck:
On behalf of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, the official civic association representing the Bay Terrace community in Northeast Queens, I am writing to express our strong opposition to the Propel NY Energy Project and to respectfully urge the United States Army Corps of Engineers to deny the federal permit application associated with this project.
Our community has serious concerns about the potentially devastating impact this massive infrastructure project could have on the quality of life of thousands of residents living in Bay Terrace, Bayside, Whitestone, and the surrounding neighborhoods near historic Fort Totten.
Bay Terrace is a vibrant, established residential community comprised of single-family homes, cooperative and condominium developments, local businesses, schools, senior citizens, and families who have invested their lives in this neighborhood. Our residents take tremendous pride in our peaceful streets, waterfront surroundings, neighborhood parks, and access to Fort Totten and Little Bay Park.
These neighborhoods are people's homes, not industrial corridors to be sacrificed for a massive transmission project.
The proposed Propel NY Energy transmission route includes major roadways in the heart of our community, including Bell Boulevard, 26th Avenue, Totten Road, and areas adjacent to the Cross Island Parkway and Fort Totten. The potential consequences of construction on this scale cannot be understated.
Our concerns include:
1. Severe Disruption to Residential Quality of Life
Extended construction activity, heavy machinery, excavation, vibration, dust, and noise could fundamentally alter the character of our neighborhoods. Many Bay Terrace residents are seniors, retirees, families with young children, and individuals who spend significant portions of their days at home. They should not be forced to endure prolonged construction disturbances without a compelling, independently demonstrated justification and consideration of less disruptive alternatives.
2. Traffic Congestion and Emergency Access
Bell Boulevard, 26th Avenue, and the surrounding roadway network are essential transportation arteries for our community. Construction-related lane closures, detours, and restrictions could create significant congestion and jeopardize timely access for emergency vehicles. Particular attention must be given to access to Fort Totten, the nearby residential developments, and local businesses. Our community already experiences traffic challenges, and the possibility of prolonged additional disruption is deeply troubling.
3. Cumulative Environmental and Community Impacts
The Corps should not evaluate the project's federally regulated activities without considering their reasonably foreseeable cumulative impacts and their relationship to the larger transmission development.
We are concerned that individual components of a much larger infrastructure undertaking may be reviewed separately, without sufficient consideration of the full consequences for surrounding communities.
Any reasonably foreseeable associated infrastructure, future expansion, or energy-storage facilities should be identified and evaluated to the extent required by applicable federal law. Residents deserve transparency regarding the project's ultimate scope and potential long-term implications.
4. Inadequate Weight Given to the People Who Actually Live Here
Far too often, large infrastructure projects are evaluated through the lens of regional objectives while the people living closest to the proposed construction are expected to absorb the consequences.
The residents of Bay Terrace should not be treated as an afterthought.
For our community, this is not simply a line drawn on an engineering map. It is the street outside someone's home, the roadway used to reach a doctor's appointment, the route taken by schoolchildren, the entrance to a treasured neighborhood park, and the place where families have built their lives.
The cumulative effect of construction, congestion, environmental disturbance, and uncertainty could severely diminish the quality of life that residents have worked for decades to preserve.
We recognize the importance of maintaining reliable energy infrastructure. However, advancing regional energy objectives must not come at the expense of the health, safety, environmental resources, and well-being of established residential communities. The applicant must demonstrate that the relevant impacts have been thoroughly evaluated, that feasible alternatives have been meaningfully considered, and that the public interest supports issuance of the requested federal authorization.
For these reasons, the Bay Terrace Community Alliance formally requests that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
Deny Permit Application No. NAN-2024-00408-MMI if the applicant cannot demonstrate that the federally regulated activities satisfy applicable environmental requirements and the Corps' public-interest review.
Require an independent and comprehensive evaluation of the project's environmental, community, and cumulative impacts, including effects on Northeast Queens and the Fort Totten area.
Give full consideration to less disruptive alternatives that would better protect established residential neighborhoods and sensitive waterfront resources.
Conduct a public hearing accessible to Bay Terrace, Bayside, Whitestone, and other affected Northeast Queens residents before issuing a final federal permit decision.
Ensure that the concerns of residents, civic associations, and local stakeholders are meaningfully considered and addressed in the administrative record.
The Bay Terrace community should not be asked to sacrifice its quality of life for a project whose local consequences have not been adequately addressed.
As President of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, I strongly urge the Army Corps of Engineers to stand with the residents of Northeast Queens, protect our waterfront environment, and reject this permit application unless and until the applicant can fully satisfy the rigorous environmental and public-interest standards that such a consequential undertaking demands.
We respectfully request that this letter be entered into the official administrative record and that our organization be provided with written confirmation of its receipt and consideration.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your responsibility to protect the public interest.
Sincerely,
Matthew Silverstein
President
Bay Terrace Community Alliance
