ACTION ALERT: Keep the Pressure on to Scrap-NESE

THANK YOU!

Over 4,500 people signed online petitions to the NJDEP and/or to Governor Murphy that included reasons for the NJDEP to deny the June 12, 2019 permit applications.  More comments were emailed or submitted in writing to the NJDEP during the comment period for this 3rd set of applications, but we do not know how many.


YOUR COMMENTS TO NJDEP & GOVERNOR MURPHY ARE STILL NEEDED

Keep telling NJDEP and your elected representatives that you want the DEP to deny the permit applications for NESE. Attached below are reasons that you can use in your comments.

NJDEP is required to apply regulations from their Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act Rules, Flood Hazard Area Rules, Stormwater Management Rules, Coastal Zone Wetland Rules and any other applicable regulations in deciding whether or not the applications for NESE meet NJ standards.  For the Coastal Wetlands & Waterfront Development permits, NJDEP needs to make a decision by Friday, October 25.  For the Flood Hazard Area permit, a decision is due by Tuesday, October 29

Since the NJDEP accepts new information from Williams/Transco about the pending permit applications for NESE after the end of the comment period, people should send comments about this new information to NJDEP.  Williams/Transco responded to comments sent to the NJDEP on September 4 & 9, 2019.  These documents, sent to NJDEP, are attached below.

At this time, the applications do not meet standards in the regulations for (1) Surface Water Quality, (2) Protecting Threatened & Endangered Species and the Bayshore Economy, (3) Avoiding Exceptional Resource Value Wetlands, and (4) Public Interest / Compelling Public Need.  Additionally, (5) NESE hinders meeting clean energy goals of the State.

  1. Construction of the NESE Project threatens surface water quality, increased stormwater flooding, and threatened & endangered species and their habitats.
    • From construction in Raritan Bay –  
      • Unearthing toxics above levels acceptable in the regulations
      • Generating turbidity (clouding the water) that would interfere with designated use of the waters
    • From construction of the Madison Loop –
      • Digging in acid-producing soils would result in poor re-vegetation on steep slopes and could lead to excess runoff into wetlands (some of which are classified as “exceptional resource”).
    • From the design of the retention basin for Compressor Station 206 – 
      • This will not adequately address stormwater runoff.
      • NOTE:  Williams/Transco made similar errors that NJ DEP failed to detect and correct in the design and construction of a recent compressor station in Chesterfield Township (“Garden State Expansion” project).
  2. Construction of the Raritan Bay Loop, with its newly proposed shorter schedule, threatens the health of marine life, habitats, benthic and shellfish communities, and the economy of the region due to suspension and spreading of toxins from beneath the seafloor, noise from construction, and limited access to construction space in the Bay for commercial and recreational activities.
  3. Williams/Transco did not demonstrate that there are no practicable alternatives to avoid impacting exceptional resource value wetlands and their transition areas at the proposed CS206 site and Madison Loop.
  4. NJDEP explained that Williams/Transco did not demonstrate (1) that the proposed NESE Project serves an essential health or safety need of the municipality in which it is proposed; (2) that the proposed NESE Project serves existing needs of residents of the State; and (3) that there is no other means available to meet the established public need.   NESE does not meet the “public interest” criteria because: 
    • There is no “compelling public need” for it – It does not provide a public health or safety benefit, and, additionally, NY does not need this gas.  Rather, NESE:
      • threatens our air and water quality from methane and other toxic releases, 
      • negatively impacts our health from Compressor Station 206 emissions, 
      • poses safety risks (fires or explosions) from increased velocity of transporting natural gas through pipelines that are 50+ year old which will impact the rate of corrosion, and 
      • increases risks of flooding at the CS206 site from an inadequately designed retention basin.
    • It doesn’t preserve natural resources, and
    • There would be a negative impact on the shore economy by dredging up toxins from the floor of the Bay which would harm the health and safety of marine life and of Bayshore communities.
    • NOTE:  FERC’s 5/3/19 Certificate of Public Convenience & Necessity was not based on criteria NJDEP needs to use to determine public interest / compelling public need.
  5. The NESE Project’s greenhouse gas emissions and methane leaks would undercut the State’s goals to address Impacts on Climate Change.  Based on the responses from the public and political leaders, there is growing support for these goals.

The NJDEP makes the decision about the permit applications.

Send your comments to New Jersey’s DEP Project Managers & copy others who should read your comments:

TO:

NJDEP Project Managers: 
Joslin Tamagno Joslin.Tamagno@dep.nj.gov
Steve Olivera Stephen.Olivera@dep.nj.gov 

COPIES TO:

Governor Phil Murphy Constituent.relations@nj.gov
Christopher Jones, Manager – Land Use Christopher.Jones@dep.nj.gov 
Catherine R. McCabe, NJDEP Commissioner Commissioner@dep.nj.gov 
Diane Dow, Director – Land Use Diane.Dow@dep.nj.gov 
Virginia Kopkash, Assistant Commissioner – Land Use Ginger.Kopkash@dep.nj.gov 
Ruth Foster, Director – Permit Coordination & Environmental Review Ruth.Foster@dep.nj.gov 


Governor Cuomo & Mayor DeBlasio, along with many other elected officials in NJ & NY, have voiced their opposition to the NESE Project.  

On WYNC’s September 24, 2019 Brian Lehrer Show, NY’s Governor Cuomo said the following about the NESE Project:  “We have taken a position: We’re against the pipeline. That’s our position.” About National Grid, he said that the investigation should be complete in a few weeks and, when asked about negotiating with National Grid, he stated, “… If they’re extorting people and wrongly turning off gas service to homes to create political pressure, I’m not negotiating over that.  That’s extortion. That’s a crime.” Listen to the interview, and hear more about his comments on the NESE Project and National Grid below starting at 7:00.


Governor Murphy hasn’t spoken out about NESE despite the fact that this project undermines the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) 2019 Energy Master Plan’s 2050 Clean Energy goal.