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North Wildwood mayor blames NJDEP for dune plan collapse Read More »
By Benjamin J. Hulac, Julie Daurio | NJ Spotlight
WASHINGTON — A fossil energy company now has all the government approval it needs to expand a pipeline across New Jersey, through Raritan Bay, and into New York City after the Murphy administration late last week issued an essential permit.
Approving the project is a parting act by Gov. Phil Murphy, a term-limited Democrat, who, after President Donald Trump last year won a second term, said he would “not back down” on climate, no matter the administration.
New Jersey signed off on the project, called the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project, hours after New York authorities issued their permit — the final two steps needed for work to commence.
Environmental groups are challenging the project in federal and state courts.
Northeast pipeline project allowed to disrupt marine wildlife
In an interview Friday with NJ Spotlight News, Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, said his agency approved the project because the U.S. government has exclusive jurisdiction over pipelines that cross state lines.
The state, he said, has the power to approve or deny permits on a project’s impact to air or water. “We’re not approving a pipeline,” LaTourette said. “We’re only evaluating its adverse environmental impacts and ensuring they are avoided or mitigated for.”
New Jersey environmental regulators twice denied environmental permits for the project, including in 2019, when the state blocked the project, saying dredging in the bay would stir up sediment contaminated with mercury, arsenic and PCBs — cancer-causing human-made compounds — impairing water quality. LaTourette says the most recent proposal addresses those concerns.
Approvals from both states follow sign-offs from a pair of federal bodies — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an independent body that regulates pipelines, which issued their own permits for the project.
The firm behind the project, the Oklahoma-based Williams Company, plans to build a 23.3-mile pipeline underneath Raritan Bay to bring gas from Pennsylvania, east through New Jersey and to Queens.
Specifically, the pipeline would link Sayreville to the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. Williams proposed drilling 163 piles into the bay floor with mechanical hammers and pistons to “liquefy” the earth below and mount the pipeline, which will be 26-inches in diameter.
The project also includes 3.6 miles of new pipeline to run through Middlesex County and about 10 miles of new pipeline in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it. Try it free for a whole month
NJ gives final approal needed for gas pipeline under Raritan Bay Read More »
By Eric Conklin | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
A $54 million plan to fortify beaches and dunes across the Wildwoods and Lower Township has been scrapped after local officials failed to resolve a long-running dispute over the project’s scope, state environmental officials said Friday.
The beach protection project between Hereford and Cape May inlets was fully funded by federal and state sources, sparing local taxpayers any cost. Nearly $2.4 million had already been spent on planning and design before it was scrapped.
On Friday, Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette formally notified mayors of the Wildwoods and Lower Township that the long-planned beach and dune project was terminated.
The project would have covered the towns located on Five-Mile Island, which include North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and the Diamond Beach section of Lower Township in Cape May County.
The project aimed to reinforce beaches and protect homes from future storm surges—a priority since Superstorm Sandy devastated coastal towns and spurred demands for stronger shoreline defenses.
Leaders in both Wildwood and Wildwood Crest have expressed disagreement with the project’s blueprint.
Wildwood Crest was concerned that sand from its own beaches would be moved to other parts of Five-Mile Island as part of the beach replenishment plan, which would shrink the borough’s beach area, leaving less space for sunbathers and potentially hurting tourism.
Borough officials moved earlier this year to withdraw from the project.
The money will instead be repurposed for other post-Sandy resiliency efforts, LaTourette said.
“Unfortunately, after years of costly engineering work and many attempts by DEP to help resolve local disagreements, the project reached an impasse necessitating its termination,” LaTourette said, in a letter to the shore leaders.
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Massive $54M dune fill canceled after Wildwoods leaders clash Read More »
By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics Editor
As Pennsylvania’s budget impasse stretches into November, the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) hangs by a thread—threatened not just by legislative inaction, but by a coordinated campaign to undermine clean energy policy in favor of fossil fuel interests.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is now deliberating whether the state’s RGGI rule—designed to cap carbon emissions from power plants—is a lawful regulatory fee or an unconstitutional tax. If the court sides with Republican lawmakers, the program could be struck down entirely. This legal uncertainty has emboldened opponents in the legislature, who have used the budget impasse to block funding and stall implementation. 💬
Environmental Advocates Push Back
PennFuture, a leading environmental advocacy group, recently issued a scathing response to Senate Republicans’ letter to PJM, the regional grid operator. The letter had called for an “all of the above” energy strategy but was criticized for spreading misinformation about renewables and battery storage. PennFuture countered with hard data:
PennFuture argues that lawmakers are ignoring market realities and public health costs—estimated at $11.1 billion from fossil fuel pollution—while clinging to outdated energy models.
📉 What’s at Stake
If RGGI is eliminated, Pennsylvania could lose its most significant tool for reducing carbon emissions, forfeiting millions in auction revenue earmarked for clean energy investments and community resilience. With renewables making up just 5% of the state’s energy mix, advocates warn that now is the time to accelerate—not retreat from—climate action.
Environmental groups are urging lawmakers to stop “picking winners and losers” and instead embrace a diversified, modern energy portfolio. As PennFuture puts it: “We need leadership that listens to market forces and promotes clean energy innovation… not just tech billionaires and fossil fuel companies.”
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it. Try it free for a whole month
RGGI Rule Faces Elimination Amid Pennsylvania’s Budget Gridlock Read More »
By Phil Gianficaro, Lehigh Valley News
LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — The planned Lehigh Valley Town Center is stuck in traffic.
The massive 64-acre, mixed-use land development project of the Jaindl Land Co. approved for Lower Macungie Township can’t fully speed ahead until roadway issues are resolved with PennDOT near the site at 361 Schantz Road and 4511 Cedarbrook Road.
“We don’t have any issues with PennDOT,” Jake Jaindl said Wednesday. “There are just some things we need to iron out.
“We’re still finalizing the access issues and the HOPs [Highway Occupancy Permits] with PennDOT, which has been a great collaborative partner with us. We’re looking for a great solution to mitigate the traffic issues.”
Luke Jaindl and his brother Adam discussed the Town Center project and other company-related topics during a taping of “Business Matters,” a 30-minute program hosted by Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce President Tony Iannelli, at WFMZ-TV studios.
The Town Center will include 550 apartment units across four six-story buildings, a 100-unit hotel, and 70,000 square feet of office space.
Also, 65,000 square feet of medical office space, a 12,500-square-foot grocery store, 170,000 square feet of retail space, a 20,000-square-foot restaurant, a parking garage, and a Topgolf facility.
Lower Macungie supervisors gave the project approval in August 2023, with groundbreaking eyed for early 2024.
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Massive Lehigh Valley Town Center project awaits PennDOT’s OK Read More »
