Sierra Club Fights Williams Transco Pipeline
Branchburg- Sierra Club, NJ joins environmental groups along with impacted residents at a critical NJDEP permit hearing to urge the Murphy Administration to stop the Williams Transco Regional Energy Access Expansion project. This project would include multiple existing facilities and two new pipeline facilities, a 21.98 mile lateral pipe in Luzerne County, PA and a 13.78 mile pipe loop in Monroe County, PA. Williams plans to build a new 11,107 hp Compressor Station 201 in Gloucester County and expand its existing compressor station in Somerset County.
“William’s unneeded fossil fuel project will threaten our public health and environment. It will increase more greenhouse gasses and add to climate change. In addition to the increase in GHG emissions, these compressor stations would bring more noise, light, and air and water pollution to the area that are a danger to public health. The expansion of more fossil fuel projects like the REAE will make it more difficult to advance clean renewable energy investments, and for New Jersey to meet its GHG emission commitments,” said Taylor McFarland, Conservation Program Manager for the NJ Sierra Club.”It's critical the NJDEP consider the disastrous impacts that the REAE project will have and reject it.”
Emissions from the compressor could include hundreds of tons per year of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, and other hazardous air pollutants. The construction and operation of this station would potentially create water pollution and contaminate drinking water in the region because of the use of hazardous chemicals and runoff from construction that could impact groundwater.
"Williams Transco’s project is another unnecessary pipeline being plunged through the hearts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We don't need another expansion project nor the environmental damage from fracking, gas leaks and methane emissions. Let's invest in clean, renewable energy and leave the gas in the ground,” said Gary Frederick, Conservation Chair of the Raritan Valley Sierra Club group.
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The Sierra Club is not only the nation's oldest and largest environmental group, but one of the most influential when it comes to making political endorsements. The New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club has close to over 80,000 members and supporters in New Jersey and 3.8 million members nationwide.