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In Your Opinion: Deadline Is Aug. 23 For Comments On TRANSCO Compressor Station

Submitted by the Franklin Township Task Force on Compressor Station 206.

Our health is harmed by increasing numbers of air quality alert days, heat spells, rainy spells and more climate change effects linked to fossil fuel projects

The state Department of Environmental Protection is reviewing permits for over a dozen fossil fuel projects, and one has a deadline for comments that is August 23 – the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project. 

What you can do in a day to protect your health and that of your community and future generations:

  1. You can sign online petition letters. 
  2. One, from Sierra Club, can be found at theirPetition Link:  https://secure3.convio.net/scnj/site/Advocacy…
  3. Another is from the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters and can be found at: 
https://secure.everyaction.com/dGl7RL_E0k27T34ApUW-7g2

Some reasons why the NJDEP should deny the permit applications are:

  • The applications do not comply with state regulations for Surface Water Quality, Stormwater Management, and showing a “compelling public need” for moving gas across NJ to NY.
  • This project would not benefit New Jersey in any way since the gas would all go to New York.  Instead, we would be faced with all of the safety and environmental consequences.
  • NESE would create more air and water pollution for the entire region.
  • The NESE pipeline will cut through waterfront areas into the bay, increasing coastal flooding and dredging up toxins in the Raritan Bay.  When you cut through a bay like the Raritan, it has an impact on the fisheries as well as the ecology of the Bay.  The fish, plants and other living creatures in the Bay would be threatened by this pipeline.
  • This pipeline would cut through the already polluted and sensitive Raritan Bay and the New York Bay.  Construction would disrupt 1 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment such as arsenic, lead and PCBs, putting toxic chemicals into the Raritan Bay.  The release of those toxins will affect aquatic migration, interfere with breeding, contribute to harmful algae blooms, and impact human health.
  • We’ve spent decades cleaning up the waters in Raritan Bay, and the NESE construction also threatens commercial and recreational fishing economies at the Bayshore.
  • The pipeline project’s path would cut across numerous contaminated sites as well as 2 Superfund sites, the Raritan Bay Slag and Higgins Farm sites, as it goes across the state into the Raritan Bay.  
  • This project would cut through wetlands and other sensitive areas, further imperiling the water, soil and wildlife with more toxic runoff during construction.
  • This project will increase polluted stormwater runoff, destroy critical habitat and cause significant degradation to the environment.
  • The LUP19002 Coastal Wetland permit would allow for the destruction of wetlands critical for protection against flooding and storm surges.  Wetlands also offer vital pollution protection.  They filter chemicals and sediment out of the water before it is discharged into the ocean.  The loss of those important coastal wetlands will create more pollution and flooding in Middlesex and Monmouth counties.
  • It’s dangerous to remove wetlands because they act as natural storm barriers and water filters for the area.  The risk will be heightened with worsening storm surges and climate effects including sea level rise.
  • Stormwater runoff impacts from the proposed Compressor Station 206 will also have harmful results.  The station will release formaldehyde, chromium, benzene and hydrocarbons into industrial stormwater runoff that will increase pollution and flooding in an area already plagued by flooding.
  • The LUP19001 Freshwater Wetlands and Flood Hazard Area permits would allow for the destruction of exceptional resource value wetlands and transition areas along with forested areas that are critical for protection against flooding and storm surges as well as vital for the threatened Barred Owl.

This gas is highly flammable and dangerous.  An accident with this pipeline and compressor station could contaminate our waterways and environment and put people at risk.

Your Thoughts

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