For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jackie Greger, Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
NJ Tidelands Council Approves Utility License for NESE Fossil Fuel Project
Trenton, NJ - Today, the NJ Tidelands Council approved the Utility License for Williams Transco’s Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE) fossil fuel project to construct over or under state-owned tidelands. This decision grants the final approval needed for construction in New Jersey, officially greenlighting NESE.
NESE will undoubtedly negatively impact New Jersey tidelands. The pipeline portion of the project will cut through Old Bridge, Sayreville, and South Amboy, and then run under the Raritan Bay to ultimately arrive in Long Island.
These areas include critical freshwater ecosystems, coastal wetlands, tidal wetlands, Cheesequake Creek, and habitats for threatened and endangered species on both land and in the marine environment.
At the meeting, 115 New Jerseyans voiced their concerns and opposition to this dangerous project and remained on the virtual call for over 4 hours.
New Jersey Sierra Club Conservation Program Manager, Taylor McFarland, issued the following statement on the Council’s decision;
“We are disappointed by the decision made today by the Tidelands Council to grant Williams Transco its utility license to tear through our wetlands, tidelands, and the Raritan Bay. NESE would cut through New Jersey's tidelands in Raritan Bay and along Cheesequake Creek, causing irreparable damage to a massive swath of state-owned tidelands that serve as vital natural buffers against flooding and pollution. This is the same project that both NY and NJ denied multiple times. Nothing has changed; the route and the impacts are the same.
The Sierra Club, alongside a coalition of partners, will continue to legally fight NESE at the state and federal level. New Jersey does not need this gas, and we will not accept the pollution, the risk of explosions, or the destruction of our precious coastal ecosystems."
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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information about our work in New Jersey, visit www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey.