For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
The DEP has given South Jersey Gas an extension on two state permits for their proposed pipeline through the Pinelands. These permits include Freshwater Wetlands general permit as well as the individual Waterfront Development permit. It’s been five years since the permits were originally given and the project has not moved forward because we’ve been in court fighting them. The DEP is only allowed to issue an extension to these permits if the regulated activities have not been revised since the original application. Since the five years on the permits have expired, and new rules have been put in place since then.
“DEP has extended South Jersey Gas’s Freshwater Wetlands and Waterfront Development permits that will extend their ability to destroy parts of the Pinelands. By further grandfathering these permits, it will be easier to build pipelines. The DEP should be called the Department of Expediting Pipelines.The South Jersey Gas pipeline will create irreversible harm to wetlands, streams and threaten one of the largest sources of fresh drinking water on the east coast,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The Governor campaigned for protecting the Pinelands but has not appointed any new members or replaced the Executive Director of the Pinelands Commission. They also said they would not approve pipelines unless they were needed. They have broken their commitment with New Jersey by having DEP approve this extension."
Comprehensive
“Under the rules, the DEP should deny the extension and make SJG come back for new permits. This will allow the public to have a say in public hearings on this damaging and unnecessary pipeline. Furthermore, we believe that the original permits were issued improperly. There were emissions in the application, problem with the CAFRA permits, and they failed to properly examine secondary and cumulative impacts. The rules have changed since the permits were granted, as has the BL England project, which was declared unneeded. As it stands, the project’s permits are outdated according to law and the DEP’s own rules have changed. Due to the current circumstances, the DEP must uphold their own law and reject SJG’s application for permit extensions,” said Jeff Tittel. “The DEP didn’t their job the first time when they originally granted these permits and they failed again by extending these permits to SJG.”
This pipeline will cause irreparable harm to our forests, threaten biodiversity, and cut an ugly scar through the Pinelands. It will also interfere with Governor Murphy’s goal for 100% renewable energy by 2050. There was also not a proper water quality certificate on the impacts of this pipeline including the filling of wetlands. The Department can reject a proposed development to protect public welfare and the environment (N.J.A.C 7:7-14.2).
“The DEP has sold out the Pinelands and the people of New Jersey by giving SJG a permit extensions. This pipeline is opposed by thousands of New Jersey citizens, including four former Governors. The law says that permits are only valid for five years and since many things have changed since the original ones were granted, the agency must require South Jersey Gas to reapply. In doing so, it will significantly delay this project and make it easier for us to stop it,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. DEP ignored the rules that will push through this pipeline through the Pinelands and the damage it will cause.”