New Jersey Rejects Williams Pipeline

TRENTON, N.J. -- Governor Phil Murphy’s administration yesterday rejected the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE), or Williams Pipeline, dealing a significant roadblock to its development. The proposal called for building a new fracked gas pipeline from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, through Middlesex and Monmouth Counties in New Jersey, to the Rockaways in New York City – and threatened to pollute some of the region’s most ecologically important waterbodies, including Raritan Bay, Lower New York Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. New Jersey’s denial comes on the heels of New York State’s decision last month to block the Williams pipeline.

A statement follows from Kimberly Ong, Senior Attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):

“This victory affirms that dangerous gas pipelines have no place in our communities. Instead of locking in a fossil-fueled future that threatens our waters and endangers marine life, New Jersey is rightly driving forward a local clean energy economy. Rest assured – we will use every tool in the kit to stop this reckless project from ever being built.”
 

For more background, read: New Jersey Blocks the Williams Pipeline!

# # #

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.​