NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Environmental groups are working to block the construction of a natural gas compression facility in West Deptford, Gloucester County.
The facility in West Deptford is one component of the plan already approved by The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for Transco, a Williams Company subsidiary Regional Energy Access Expansion. It also includes expansion of two other facilities in Branchburg and Old Bridge in New Jersey and 36.1 miles of pipeline in Pennsylvania.
Allison McLeod with the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters thinks this will not only harm the environment but add to utility bills, noting that it could increase New Jersey’s greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 16%.
“So by building this project, what it’s doing is tying New Jersey ratepayers to it and keeping us on the hook for the cost.”
She says data shows the state already has enough natural gas to last until at least 2030, so environmental groups say this isn’t even needed right now.
“And so now it’s in the hands of the court to look at all of the evidence which, as we said, shows that this is bad for our climate, bad for public health, and frankly bad for our wallets,” McLeod added.
Related
The appeal was filed in July in federal court. McLeod says they’ve had eight attorneys general, including New Jersey’s Matt Platkin, join their appeal. It’s unclear when a judge will hear the case.
The project, according to the attorneys general who are backing the appeal, could take up to 50 years and would account for nearly 50% of New Jersey’s greenhouse gas emissions budget.
Williams Company did not respond to a request for comment.
Related
