Tag: public hearing

ACTION ALERT: Comment Period Extended to August 23

The fight against Compressor Station 206 and the pipeline in the Raritan Bay is not over! 

Williams/Transco still needs permits from NJDEP and the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to receive FERC’s permission to begin construction. 

  • The earlier permit applications to NJDEP were withdrawn or rejected – 6/23 & 7/10/17 applications withdrawn on 6/15/18 > new applications submitted 6/20/18 > denied by NJDEP on 6/5/19 > new applications submitted on 6/12/19. 

It has been over 3 years since the opposition to the NESE Project began, and there’s still hope that the NJDEP will do the right thing and reject the third set of applications from Williams/Transco for permits since they fail to meet State requirements for the permits. 

  • The June 12, 2019 applications to NJDEP still do not meet NJ regulations by showing a “compelling public need” for the NESE Project. 
  • They still include harms from construction of the pipeline to our surface water quality, marine life, and threatened & endangered species and their habitats. 
  • The proposed infiltration basin for the compressor station site still does not meet required regulations. 
  • Operations would guarantee decades of toxic air pollution from the compressor station. 

See attachments: NJDEP’s deficiency letters

Now is the time to make it known that you expect the NJDEP to deny the water permit applications that they received on June 12, 2019 for the NESE Project. 

YOUR COMMENTS ARE NEEDED!  Click the button below to submit your comments through the Action Network by the extended deadline of August 23.

SUBMIT COMMENTS

ACTION ALERT – Request Fact-Finding Meetings/Public Hearings

Since applying for water permits to the NJDEP a third time via letters dated June 10, 2019, the NJDEP has issued two deficiency letters to Williams/Transco – June 25 and July 12. These letters are attached.

  • The applications for Waterfront Development (Upland & In-Water Individual Permits) and Coastal Wetlands (Individual Permit) have been deemed by the NJDEP to be technically complete. Thus, they are “complete for review”, and this mean that the NJDEP has until September 25 to make a decision about granting or denying these particular permits.
  • Permit applications for Freshwater Wetlands and Flood Hazard Area remain technically deficient. The NJDEP has requested revised Stormwater Management calculations to account for soil units that were reported as different in soil survey reports and in geotechnical investigation reports. They also requested that Williams/Transco demonstrate that the road to the Higgins Farm EPA Remediation Building is not a practicable alternative to their proposed access road.

WHAT TO DO?

Use the attached sample letter and let the NJDEP know that you want them to schedule 3 fact-finding meetings (a.k.a. “public hearings”) near the proposed compressor station site in Franklin Twp., neat the pipeline proposed in Old Bridge and Sayreville, and near the Bayshore communities in Monmouth County who will be affected by the proposed in-water pipeline.

NOTE: Requests for new fact-finding meetings (public hearings) need to be received by the NJDEP by Friday, August 2.

Click here to download letter. Copy & paste the into an email, or print, sign and send by mail, adding anything that you think is relevant.

  • Email it to the NJDEP Commissioner and others involved in overseeing the permit reviews. Email addresses = below.
  • In the Subject line of your email, type: NESE June 2019 Permit applications – Requesting Hearings and more time.
  • Copy & paste these email addresses to use in the “Send” area:

Email to:
Commissioner@dep.nj.gov
Ruth.Foster@dep.nj.gov

Email copy to:
Christopher.Jones@dep.nj.gov
Stephen.Olivera@dep.nj.gov
Joslin.Tamagno@dep.nj.gov

You can also print the letter and add your personal information at the bottom to then snail mail it to the Commissioner McCabe.

ACTION ALERT: Review NJDEP Application Documents

For the NJDEP hearing, you can review application material from Williams/Transco to NJDEP at:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Bm6kTq6Fv0JJIC-ra2pOXBH5SPYGWf0c?usp=sharing

These were obtained from the NJDEP through an OPRA request.

The hearing on November 5 is for the Freshwater Wetlands application.

Application for Freshwater Wetlands

Read full ACTION ALERT for the November 5 meeting on TAPinto

Note:  Files on the Google drive with “2017” contain material from the original application that was withdrawn.  The current applications, submitted June 20, 2018, should be marked as 2018.  Not all files are clearly labeled, however.