PennEast Pipeline opposition hardens as gas firm seeks federal approval

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP >> Ever since PennEast Pipeline Co. publicly unveiled its vision nearly two years ago to construct a 36-inch diameter, underground natural gas transmission line from Pennsylvania into New Jersey, homeowners, politicians and environmental groups rallied against the proposal.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, also known as FERC, is expected to make a decision sometime between mid-December and early next year on whether to approve or deny PennEast’s application to build, own and operate a 118-mile-long pipeline.

It would cost PennEast upward of $1 billion to construct the pipeline that would stretch from Dallas Township in Pennsylvania to Hopewell Township in New Jersey. Overall, the transmission line would cut through 29 municipalities comprising portions of Mercer and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey and parts of Bucks, Northampton, Carbon and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania.

With environmental groups and local governments saying the pipeline would cause more harm than good, it is far from certain whether FERC will give PennEast the green light to proceed. In any event, PennEast already has its game plan mapped out.

“Pending regulatory approval, PennEast anticipates the line being operational in the second half of 2018,” said PennEast spokeswoman Pat Kornick. “Construction will take between approximately seven months and a year.”

“Natural gas literally fuels the quality of life for the majority of American families and businesses, and underground transmission pipelines remain the safest, most environmentally friendly and efficient mode of transportation,” Kornick said in a recent email. “To transport PennEast Pipeline’s 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas by truck would require 1,175 tractor trailers on the road every day, increasing congestion, chances of roadway incidences and vehicle emissions.”

Furthermore, Kornick said the pipeline would help reduce energy costs for families and businesses and would create thousands of jobs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“While some might oppose natural gas development,” Kornick said, “most people appreciate the use of safe, affordable, locally produced natural gas to heat their homes on a cold night and provide the electrical power to their homes, where they can charge their phones and use their lights, computers, televisions and microwaves.”

None of the municipal governments or counties where the proposed pipeline would cut through has endorsed PennEast’s plan.

On Sept. 23, 2014, PennEast representatives made a public presentation to the Hopewell Township Committee and approximately 400 residents to explain the nature of the project and its potential impact on the Hopewell Valley.

On Oct. 14, 2014, the Hopewell Township Committee passed a resolution opposing the pipeline proposal. The resolution said, in part, that the Hopewell Township Committee “is concerned that the pipeline project will have a negative effect on Hopewell Township’s tax ratables; Hopewell Township’s environment; and the public health, safety and welfare of Hopewell Township residents.”

Mercer County and Hopewell Township last summer formally banned PennEast Pipeline Co. LLC from conducting surveys on the Ted Stiles Preserve at Baldpate Mountain. On top of that, numerous elected officials have proclaimed their opposition to the project.

New Jersey Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker, a Princeton-area freshman lawmaker, last month issued a statement opposing the $1 billion pipeline project.

“The pipeline proposal represents a lack of respect for the rule of law, utter disregard for New Jersey’s natural resources and an assault on the ownership of private property,” Zwicker said. “Considering the fundamental right of individual landowners to retain their properties and the fundamental responsibility of the state to protect our waterways, wildlife and open space, it would be irresponsible to move forward with this project.”

The New Jersey Conservation Foundation and several residents of Hunterdon County last month filed a lawsuit in Superior Court of New Jersey’s Chancery Division against PennEast. The Hunterdon County residents are members of a group called Homeowners Against Land Taking-PennEast Inc.

Also known as HALT, the pipeline opposition group and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation are seeking to prohibit PennEast from conducting any future ground or aerial surveys on properties owned by HALT members or the NJCF.

In their complaint filed May 2, HALT and NJCF accuse PennEast of having “repeatedly and unlawfully entered onto the property of homeowners, landowners, and non-profits in rural Hunterdon and Mercer counties, New Jersey, in a multi-year campaign of trespass and nuisance that violates New Jersey law.”

“Those opposed to natural gas development use every option to advance their agenda, including often filing meritless lawsuits,” Kornick said, noting a judge at an initial hearing found “no evidence” PennEast trespassed.

In addition to the lawsuit, the NJCF has teamed up with the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association and filed a motion with FERC on Wednesday requesting the federal commission to assess whether there is a public need for the pipeline.

Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club’s New Jersey chapter, said his environmental organization opposes the proposed PennEast Pipeline on multiple grounds.

“It has a lot of negative impacts,” Tittel said in a recent interview with The Trentonian. He said the pipeline’s proposed 118-mile-long route from Pennsylvania’s Dallas Township to Hopewell Township in New Jersey is a “devastating” path that cuts through scenic areas and open space, including the Mercer County-owned lands of Baldpate Mountain.

“It is wrong on many levels. Not just the route, global warming and air pollution, it will lead to fracking,” Tittel said, adding, “These pipelines vent a lot of methane and other things that could be mixed with the gas, (such as) radon and arsenic.”

Fracking or hydraulic fracturing is a process in which heavy equipment drills into the earth and injects fluids into the rock shales. It causes rock formations to become fractured, which allows for the easy extraction of oil and natural gas.

The Sierra Club is committed to eliminating the use of fossil fuels like natural gas and asserts fracking has negative impacts on air and water quality.

“This pipeline is causing a lot of environmental destruction to this area,” Tittel said, “and it is also not needed because other pipelines are being built.”

Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, a longtime Hamilton-area legislator, wrote a letter dated March 31 to FERC Secretary Kimberly D. Bose saying the project could bring significant economic benefits to the region.

“While the proposed line’s potential route is a matter of great concern for some impacted by it and should be a matter of examination for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,” DeAngelo wrote, “the pipeline could deliver potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in energy savings for residents and businesses alike each year.”

DeAngelo, who chairs the General Assembly’s Telecommunications and Utilities Committee, in his letter also cited an economic impact study that says the pipeline could create up to 12,160 jobs.

In addition to being a state lawmaker, DeAngelo is also the assistant business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 269. In a recent interview with The Trentonian, DeAngelo said his letter to FERC’s secretary “was supportive of the installation of infrastructure, not necessarily the route” of the proposed pipeline.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the route, but I agree New Jersey needs to increase and upgrade its infrastructure — gas, electric, sewerage — all our infrastructure needs to be upgraded,” DeAngelo said. “We can’t put our head in the sand. We have infrastructure needs, antiquated infrastructure that is being upgraded periodically, but we need to do more.”

DeAngelo said he is “a labor guy” who works for an electric union, but he suggested his union job and connections have nothing to do with him supporting the concept of a new natural gas transmission line in New Jersey, saying, “None of that guarantees a union construction job.”

But Greg Lalevee, business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825, last week said he anticipates the PennEast Pipeline, if approved, would primarily be constructed by IUOE 825 members who live in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“We don’t see it happening any other way,” Lalevee said. “We have been good partners with them in trying to bring this project up.”

“Our guys on pipelines tend to work a lot of hours,” Lalevee said. “There’s a lot of overtime involved. They accrue their benefits, medical benefits, retirement benefits. Pipeline projects for us turn out to be a great thing.”

“We have no interest in destroying the environment,” Lalevee added, describing his members as outdoor enthusiasts who love to fish, hunt and camp. “My home is within 2,500 feet of a natural gas transmission line. I don’t lose sleep at night. I don’t fear for my three children. These things are safe. If you are not afraid to fly, not afraid to drive, you have no reason to fear pipelines,” he said. “We are hopeful the pipeline clears all of the regulatory hurdles and goes to construction as soon as possible.”

John Galandak, president of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey, said his association supports the proposed pipeline for the following two reasons: It would increase the reliability of natural gas being delivered to New Jersey and would result in lower energy costs for Garden State homeowners and businesses.

“Show me a customer who is going to complain when the price of something goes down,” Galandak said.

If a new pipeline is built, “It doesn’t lower gas prices,” Jeff Tittel of the Sierra Club said. “Gas is a commodity. It is traded nationally and internationally. The price is not set because there is a pipeline cutting through Hopewell.”

“We are all awash in gas,” Tittel added, “and there is no rhyme or reason for this pipeline except for the PennEast companies making more money selling gas to themselves.”

PennEast Pipeline Co. LLC is a consortium of several energy companies that include Public Service Enterprise Group, PSE&G’s parent firm.

“Not everyone agrees with or understands the value of delivering the environmentally preferred, safe and locally produced natural gas,” Kornick said. “However, PennEast is committed to delivering this clean, abundant energy to families and businesses within the region.”

The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office and Holland Township police in April arrested Lester R. Kinney, 48, of Holland Township, on allegations Kinney brandished a firearm and threatened three subcontractors that were conducting a wildlife survey for the PennEast Pipeline Co.

Kinney was charged with the second-degree crime of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and terroristic threats, which is a third-degree crime.

Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III issued the following statement on April 21: “People are free to protest and voice their opinions on the pipeline project or any other issue, but it must be conducted in a lawful manner.”

Source: The Trentonian