Millennium Pipeline Project

Since 1997, Gray & Pape has provided Columbia Gas Transmission, NiSource, and the Millennium Pipeline Co. with cultural resource management services associated with the Millennium Pipeline Project in New York. Terrestrial and marine cultural resources survey for the original 422-mile project corridor began in Canada, crossed Lake Erie, ran across the Southern Tier counties of New York, and ended in southern Westchester County. To ensure productive and timely coordination with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Gray & Pape developed a unique partnership with the New York Natural Heritage Trust to underwrite an OPRHP review position. The position gave the project focused and timely agency response, while allowing the agency to utilize extra capacity generated by the position. Project partners opted to approach the actual delineation of the project centerline and construction work area using multidisciplinary teams supported by GPS technology. Teams included cultural resources, civil survey, construction, and environmental personnel. Cultural resource identification and assessment efforts followed guidelines set forth in work plans approved by the New York and Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Offices. Each season’s work was reported in documents submitted to both SHPO offices and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Treatment plans were developed to mitigate project effects on archaeological, historical, and landscape resources. The treatment plans also include the creation of a website providing New York teachers with curriculum support utilizing cultural resource information generated by the project.