Port Monmouth, NJ –On Friday, May 31, a hundred citizens, elected officials, and business owners gathered in Bayshore Waterfront Park to call on Governor Murphy to permanently deny all permits for the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Pipeline. The 23.4 mile project would rip Raritan Bay in half, contaminate waters, kill marine life and destroy decades of efforts to improve waterways.
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| Speakers from right to left: Doug O'Malley, Environment New Jersey; Ed Potosnack, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters; Tara Clark, Hazlet Councilwoman; Tony Perry, Mayor of Middletown; Cindy Zipf, Clean Ocean Action; Peter Blair, Clean Ocean Action (speaking); Gerry Scharfenberger, Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders; Patricia Snell, Middletown Committeewoman; Michael Nikolis, Deputy Mayor of Holmdel; Kin Gee, CHARGE/RAGE; John Weber, Surfrider Mid-Atlantic; Nick Simon, representing Congressman Frank Pallone |
“The outpouring to defend the bay and ocean
is inspiring,” said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean
Action. “Together we have worked hard and spent millions to
improve these waters. The whales, fish, clams, seal and people are
all back enjoying the cleaner water. No way we will we allow harm to
come to these remarkable and valuable resources. Governor Murphy must send
Williams back to Oklahoma,” she added.
The NESE Pipeline is a 37-mile pipeline designed to bring fracked
natural gas from Pennsylvania to the New York City area. The pipeline would
begin in Pennsylvania, cut through central New Jersey and continue offshore
through New Jersey and New York state waters until reaching the
Rockaways. Leading environmental groups present today are focused on the
so called, Raritan Loop, the 23.4 mile offshore section that slices through the
bays and ocean and will have significant impacts on water quality, marine life,
and public health.
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| Citizens Attend Rally |
The rally is the culmination of what has been a three year fight
to protect water and air quality, marine life, and the coastal communities of
the Bayshore from the pipeline proposed by Williams Company and its
subsidiary Transcontinental Pipeline Co.
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| Citizens Stand United on Beach at Raritan Bay and tell Gov. Murphy to "Say No" to NESE Permanently |
“Monmouth County’s shoreline and seascape are essential to our tourism industry, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and generates millions of dollars for our economy. We cannot risk any threat to this important resource – especially from a project that by all accounts, will have no discernable benefit for New Jersey,” said Freeholder Gerry Scharfenberger and Freeholder Director Tom Arnone in a joint statement.
“It took decades of hard work and millions of dollars to improve and restore the bay. This unnecessary and unwanted pipeline will destroy the lucrative tourism that greatly helps the local economy of Bayshore towns like Highlands. The state must deny the permits and protect the Bayshore,” Rosemary Ryan, Council President , Borough of Highlands.
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| Youth Rally to Save their Future (from left to right: Scarlette and Madison Schreibman with Luna Cordova |
“This proposed fracked gas pipeline, the
Northeast Supply Enhancement Project is wanton environmental vandalism on
Raritan Bay's aquatic life, recreational fishing, tourism and scenic
waterfronts without a proven need. We have a moral and ethical
responsibility to our children's children and future generations to protect our
precious natural resources from unnecessary harm. I join the 10,000+
residents that are opposed to this project and urge the New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection to deny the permit applications for this project,” said Deputy
Mayor Michael Nikolis, Homdel.
The History of the Raritan Bay
For years, the water quality of the Raritan Bay has been a topic
of disappointment. Industrial pollution, toxic dumping and mismanagement left
the bay polluted and resulted beach closures as well as fishing and
shell-fishing restrictions. However, recent investments and efforts
from non-profits, local governments and the states have seen improvements.
Aware of the untapped potential of the Raritan Bay as a resource, millions of
dollars have been invested in improving the quality of the water. Due to
such efforts, the Raritan Bay has slowly improved health, which has not gone
unnoticed.
Whales, seals, birds and other wildlife are flourishing; recreational and commercial fishing is improving and expanding; tourism and coastal communities along the shore are thriving, especially after Superstorm Sandy. More recently, a pair of humpback whales was spotted in the bay over Memorial Day weekend.
NESE will Harm the life of the Bay and
Ocean
Impacts from the proposed project pulled citizens together to
protect the Raritan Bay and the ocean to avoid destroying years of improvement
at the end of the three year battle against the pipeline. Harm to the Raritan
Bay will result in damage to the air, land and water quality of the area given
the route of the Williams Transco Northeast Supply Enhancement project (NESE).
Permit applications in New Jersey are still pending and the final decision will
be made in June.
“The Raritan Bay and ocean are our life and
our livelihoods, said David Tauro, Manager of the Belford Seafood
Cooperative, Belford, NJ. “We are the only commercial
fishing port left in the region. We supply healthy seafood to
millions of people, this project will contaminate your food, and put us out of
business,” he added.
In 2016, plans were submitted by Williams Transco to construct the
project, including the 23.4 mile underwater section that would rip apart the
Raritan Bay to bring climate-altering fracked natural gas to New York. The
construction would re-suspend buried toxic sediment destroying the water
quality, killing marine life, and destroying clean ocean economies that many
depend upon. The project would also require large land based facilities and
construction including a massive compressor station in Franklin Township that
will result in significant air pollution and cause serious safety risks to
communities.
New York’s Recent Decision Failed to
Permanently Deny the Project.
On May 15, the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (NYDEC) denied an important water quality certificate that the
company needs to develop the pipeline. While this was a victory for
climate activists and all those that love and depend on the Bay, it was not the
end of this story. The denial, “without prejudice” left the door
open for the company to reapply for the permit, which they did less than 48
hours later. Despite the strong language of the denial from the
NYDEC, Williams views the concerned raised by the department as “a discrete
technical issue.”
New Jersey Has the Authority to End the
Battle Once and For All
Governor Murphy and his New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection (NJDEP) must make a final decision on the project in the next few
weeks. A permanent denial will stop the project.
“Williams quick resubmissions shows why we
need decisive action on this issue” Said Peter Blair, Policy Attorney
for Clean Ocean Action. “Our bay, ocean, marine life, and coastal
communities will not be safe until this project is permanently denied. We need
Governor Murphy and the NJDEP to follow the law and end this unprecedented
attack on clean water and our climate” Blair said.
The NJDEP must make a decision on the first set of permits by June
5. A decision on the water quality certification must be made before
June 20.
NJ/NY Governors must Act Now or may lose
Authority
While both New York and New Jersey continue reviewing permits, the
clock may be running out on their ability to assert control over the
pipeline. On April 10, President Trump signed an executive order
that seeks to limit states’ authority to block construction of pipelines like
NESE. The Executive Order specifically targets Section 401 of the
Clean Water Act, which requires companies to obtain certifications from the
state before they can build federally-approved pipelines, within that state’s
borders. Both New York and New Jersey currently have authority under
Section 401 over the NESE pipeline, but it is unclear whether this will change
in the coming months.
"What happens in Raritan Bay effects the ocean," said John Weber, Mid Atlantic Regional Manager for the Surfrider Foundation. "We can't let this project impact this area that is seeing more ocean life and vibrancy than it has in year. Governor Murphy should reject this pipeline once and for all."
“Governor Murphy needs to stand up and protect the environment and
public safety by having DEP deny Transco’s permits. If he cares about reducing
GHG’s, moving to 100% renewable energy, protecting our waterways and bays, then
he must have DEP deny these permits. The project would cut
through the already polluted and sensitive Raritan Bay and the New York Bay and
doesn’t meet the 401 Water Quality Certificate,” said
Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This is a big
test for Governor Murphy. Will he be like Governor Cuomo and do
the right thing, or will he side with the fossil fuel industry over the people.
This is his last chance to do what’s right on the NESE project.”
"Governor Phil Murphy faces one of the biggest tests of his environmental rhetoric in his first term. The Raritan Bay fracked gas pipeline & Princeton-area compressor engine would fuel climate change, further toxify our air & water with cancer causing chemicals, endanger surrounding communities, and impact sensitive marine life in our Bay. Governor Murphy can no longer call himself a champion for our environment if he approves the NESE pipeline. Fracked gas infrastructure that will last more than fifty years, the NESE pipeline will be Murphy's Gas Pipeline if he makes the wrong decision on his legacy. If Governor Murphy chooses to take no position on this pipeline by June 20, President Trump & his Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will choose for him & New Jersey. Over 10,000 New Jerseeyans have demanded Governor Murphy oppose NESE over the last 3 years- now it's time for Governor Murphy to put his environmental rhetoric to action, and stop the NESE pipeline. For his legacy, and for the health of New Jerseyans and our environment" said Junior Romero, Food & Water Watch, New Jersey Organizer.
"What happens in Raritan Bay effects the ocean," said John Weber, Mid Atlantic Regional Manager for the Surfrider Foundation. "We can't let this project impact this area that is seeing more ocean life and vibrancy than it has in year. Governor Murphy should reject this pipeline once and for all."
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