Passaic County commissioners could soon be asking Gov. Phil Murphy to block the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company’s plan to build a new compressor station near the Monksville Reservoir.
By David M. Zimmer NorthJersey.com
Heavily criticized for its potential impact on the development-regulated Highlands Region, the plan under federal review involves the installation of a 19,000-horsepower turbine to push more gas through a nearby pipeline.
Terry Duffy, a 15-year commissioner and West Milford resident, said the project is all risk and no reward for his hometown. The project — and proposed upgrades to existing stations in Wantage and Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania —are designed to feed new Con Edison connections in Westchester County, New York, records show.
“We really do need to pass a resolution encouraging the governor to kill the project if he can,” said Bruce James, the county commission’s deputy director. “It doesn’t benefit New Jersey in any way whatsoever, not at all, and fracking doesn’t benefit anyone.”
Opponents of the project, including members of Food & Water Watch, NJ Sierra Club and Sustainable West Milford, have voiced their concerns about its environmental impact during municipal meetings and local rallies in recent months. They have urged Murphy to attempt to stop the project, as state officials did in 2019 by denying land rights for the proposed 116-mile Penn East natural gas pipeline.
More:
West Milford residents to rally against proposed pipeline compressor project before vote
Governing bodies in Bloomfield, Montague and Ringwood have adopted resolutions opposing the project. The Passaic County commissioners are expected to vote June 8 on a resolution opposing the project .
West Milford’s town council, however, rejected a resolution opposing the project in March. Mayor Michele Dale said the governing body has submitted its concerns to the project-regulating Federal Energy Regulatory Commission but is also negotiating with the pipeline company to secure community safeguards, including bonding, insurance, and first responder training.
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