Clean Ocean Action is suing the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection over a decision by its Tidelands Resource Council to grant a license to the Northeast Supply Enhancement project.
The controversial gas pipeline by Williams Transco, which would bring fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New York City and Long Island, was given the go-ahead by New Jersey in May despite vociferous opposition from environmental advocates, local elected officials and residents. Even Jane Fonda weighed in on the matter, penning a letter to Gov. Mikie Sherrill urging her administration to reject the license for NESE.
“The decision to approve a Tidelands license for NESE is all harm and no gain for New Jersey,” Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, said in a statement. “Why is New Jersey letting New York contaminate and damage our bay with toxins that will violate NJ’s public health, marine ecosystem, and economy, in exchange for cheap natural gas it doesn’t need?”
The background: Transco filed an application for the project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2017. Since then, New York and New Jersey have rejected water quality permits for the project multiple times. The project seemed all but dead when Transco allowed its FERC certificate to lapse.
