In Your Opinion: Save The Marine Life From The Threats of NESE’s Proposed Pipeline Under Raritan Bay

Submitted by the Franklin Township Task Force on CS206 & NESE.

The fishing and recreation industry by Raritan Bay, as well as the cleaned-up waters and marine life in the bay, would be in danger if the Williams/Transco NESE pipeline is constructed from Sayreville to an offshore point south of Rockaway, NY.

Risks of adding a pipeline under Raritan Bay during 9 months of 24/7 construction:

• Toxins from years of industrial dumping have become buried below the seabed of the Raritan Bay.  Some are copper, lead, zinc, and mercury.  The NESE Project would unearth them and let them land on the surface of the seabed for ground-feeding fish to ingest.
• Construction through an area of the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site could release more lead and other toxins that could threaten beachgoers as well as marinelife.
• Construction noise would harm threatened & endangered species like the right whale and Atlantic sturgeon.
• Fishermen, recreational boaters, and whale-watching businesses would be negatively impacted since construction of the Raritan Bay Loop will go through seven separate recreational fishing grounds and hinder travel of boaters, including whale-watching vessels.
• Whales and seals have returned to this area, and the noise and toxins could harm them.
• The endangered and smallest sea turtle, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, made its way through the waters where the pipeline is proposed to nest on Rockaway in July 2018, and there’s no plan to protect this species in the plans of Williams/Transco.

The final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project was published by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on January 25, 2019, and it’s predictable that Williams/Transco will be given FERC’s Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity anytime between the end of February and late April 2019.

The NESE Project can only be stopped if NY or NJ denies required water permits.

The last letters addressed impacts from increased greenhouse gas and toxic airborne emissions, and future letters to the editor will include information about other concerns with NESE:

• Safety Risk – Fires or Explosions
• Risks to Water Supply and Groundwater
• NESE is not in the Public Interest; questionable need for this added gas; and NESE thwarts NJ & NY clean energy goals

For more information about the impacts of the NESE Project on the Raritan Bay (and more), see the Action Alert – Our Health And Safety Are Not For Sale & Urge Governor Murphy & NJDEP to Deny Water Permit Applications for CS206 – on the website, www.scrap-NESE.org.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO GET THE ATTENTION OF GOVERNOR MURPHY AND THE NJDEP?

In honor of Black History month and our fight to stop NESE, think about what Maya Angelou said: “Nothing will work unless you do.”

1. A letter to download/print, sign and mail to Governor Murphy and the NJDEP Commissioner can be found on the website, www.scrap-NESE.org.   Share it with your family, friends and neighbors to ask them to do the same.
2. Look for online petitions to the Governor and NJDEP with a message to them asking for denial of the permits.  One can be found at:  https://secure.foodandwaterwatch.org/act/deny-nese-permits
3. You and your friends can also call the Governor at 609-292-6000 often and let him know that you are counting on the NJDEP to scrutinize the applications and hold Williams-Transco to the high environmental requirements of NJ with the expectation that the permits will be denied.  Tell him why you care.  Remind him of what he said in August 2018:  “Being responsible stewards of the environment is not a campaign promise, it’s a moral, philosophical, and economic obligation that we have to ensure a strong economy and quality of life for all New Jersey residents today and for generations to come.”
4. Contact the Franklin Township Task Force on CS206 & NESE if you need copies of the letter, have ideas, or want to get involved – stopFTcompressor@yahoo.com.  You can also find updated information on our website, www.scrap-NESE.org & on the NY coalition’s website, www.stopthewilliamspipeline.org.

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