Swamp Stomp
Volume 16, Issue 34
PennEast, a pipeline company, has proposed a plan to build a 118 mile natural gas pipeline in Pennsylvania. The proposed pipeline project has received plenty of backlash from environmentalists. Before PennEast can build the pipeline, the company needs to complete a regulatory review with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The FERC found that “The proposed PennEast natural gas-pipeline will result in some adverse ecological impacts, but they could be reduced to less-than-significant levels, according to a draft environmental impact statement prepared by the staff of a federal agency” (Johnson). This response did not quell the angry critics.
Critics are deeply concerned about the environmental impact, which in some case is long lasting; the pipeline will have on wetlands, endangered species, historic resources, and other areas. Those against the pipeline do not believe that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s changes do enough to protect these threatened areas. “Tom Gilbert, campaign director for ReThink Energy NJ and New Jersey Conservation, one of many environmental groups lobbying against the project says ‘It is impossible for FERC to assess the environmental costs of this project’” (Johnson).
Those who argue that PennEast should build the pipeline say that the pipeline will provide cheaper gas to homes and businesses. PennEast views the FERC verdict as a victory on a project that has taken longer to get started than predicted due to a lack of information provided for the regulatory review. “’This conclusion brings local homes, hospitals, businesses and schools one step closer to receiving a vital source of reliable, affordable energy,’ the company said” (Johnson).
The areas and animals the pipeline will traverse and that “it could affect four groundwater aquifer systems and a few public drinking wells in Hunterdon County, and cross more than 250 bodies of water, including the Delaware River, and 56 acres of wetlands. It would require more than 200 acres of agricultural land for rights-of-way, poses a risk to five endangered species, and traverse 22 parcels of preserved land in New Jersey set aside under the state’s Green Acres program” (Johnson). “There is no demonstrated need for this pipeline, which threatens some of New Jersey’s most pristine streams and wetlands,’’ said Jim Waltman, executive director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, another critic who is against the pipeline being built.
Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said that the pipeline will never legally meet qualifications it needs to because the bodies of water it comes in contact with have anti degeneration regulations. This means the quality of the water cannot be reduced.
Those who back the building of the pipeline say that “the pipeline … reflects recommendations in the state’s Energy Master Plan, which calls for a build-out of natural gas infrastructure in New Jersey as a way of reducing energy costs. Nevertheless, the pipeline is perhaps one of the most contentious of more than a dozen similar projects that are pending, approved, or proposed in New Jersey” (Johnson).
Actions have already been taken against the FERC’s decision. “The Delaware Riverkeeper Network has filed a challenge in federal court, asserting FERC suffers from a conflict of interest, having never rejected a pipeline project. The public comment period on the draft EIS ends September 5. PennEast said it expects FERC to make a final decision on the project in 2017, but numerous other federal and state agencies have yet to weigh in, including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which has refused to review permits for the project because officials say the application is incomplete” (Johnson).
Do you agree with the FERC’s decision? Do you think PennEast will be allowed to build the pipeline? Do you think the pipeline will be helpful or just harm the environment?
Source: Johnson, Tom. “Federal Agency Says PennEast Environmental Impacts Could Be Reduced.” NJ Spotlight. NJ Spotlight, 25 July 2016. Web. 27 July 2016.
FERC is what we call a captured regulatory agencdy. in other words the fox guarding the hen house. They NEVER turn down projects and should be treated as criminals.