In Your Opinion: Stop Efforts To Add Another Industrial Facility Next To Trap Rock

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

Have you felt things shake when Trap Rock blasts?  Do you remember the recent gas pipeline explosions and fires in Massachusetts?

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.

In honor of Black History month and our fight to stop NESE, think about what Langston Hughes said:  “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.”

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

Today’s letter addresses the risks of fire and explosion from operating Compressor Station 206 and the gas transmission pipelines linked to it, many of which are over 50 years old.

• Pushing more gas at higher temperatures through older pipelines increases the rate of corrosion which, in turn, increases risk of leaks, fires and explosions.
• Williams/Transco has not let Federal or State agencies know the extent of known corrosion in or on their pipelines.
• The safety record of Williams/Transco indicates that they do not always follow best practices or their own procedures.  (go to www.scrap-NESE.org > Risks & Issues tab > Safety & Accidents > READ MORE – W-T Safety Record.)

For more information about the safety risks and concerns (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.

The last letters addressed concerns about NESE’s impacts from increased greenhouse gas, toxic airborne emissions, and risks from construction in Raritan Bay, and future letters to the editor will include information about other concerns with NESE:

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

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

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 and on the NY coalition’s website, www.stopthewilliamspipeline.org.

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