For Immediate Release
Media Contacts: Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
NESE Mess is Finally Cleaned Up- Williams Transco Project is Dead
Williams Transco decided not to renew their FERC extension for their Northeast Supply Enhancement Project, which expired on Friday, May 3, 2024. The New Jersey Chapter, including the Raritan Valley Group and Central Jersey Group, has been fighting this fossil fuel project for the past eight years. The New Jersey Chapter celebrated this incredible victory with environmental organizations in Keyport, NJ.
“The NESE Mess is finally cleaned up. After eight years of fighting this disastrous fossil fuel project, we emerged victorious. Transco’s project was a disaster waiting to happen. It would have destroyed critical wetlands and caused major pollution and flooding in Somerset, Middlesex, and Monmouth counties. The pipeline would have also dredged up toxins in the Raritan Bay, causing even more environmental impact to the bay communities. NESE was not in the public interest because we would be stuck with the compressor and pipeline while Long Island got the gas,” said Taylor McFarland, Conservation Program Manager of the Sierra Club, NJ Chapter. “These victories don’t come often so we will relish it for a bit. However, as always, we will remain vigilant and will continue to protect New Jersey from polluting fossil fuel projects.”
Pictured : Taylor McFarland, NJ Sierra Club Conservation Program Manager
Transco’s Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE) included a compressor station in Trap Rock Quarry in Franklin Twp. and 3.5 new miles of connecting natural gas pipeline through Old Bridge that would run 24 miles into the Raritan Bay. The fossil fuel project would have caused irreparable harm to New Jersey’s environment by increasing water pollution and flooding, destroying critical wetlands and habitats, and cutting through the already polluted and sensitive Raritan Bay and New York Bay.
Pictured : Linda Powell, NJ Sierra Club Raritan Valley Group
"Thanks to the strong and organized opposition of concerned residents, environmental groups, and local politicians, we defeated this ill-conceived pipeline after many years of fighting Williams-Transco. This is a big victory for the safety of New Jersey residents and our environment,” said Gary Frederick, Conservation Chair of the NJ Sierra Club Raritan Valley Group. “Congrats to all, and let's remain vigilant against all the unnecessary, dirty, and polluting pipelines."
New York and New Jersey denied this project in 2020. Transco’s decision not to seek another extension is a massive victory for the people of South Brunswick and Franklin Township fighting the compressor and the people living near Raritan Bay, where Transco’s pipeline would cut through.
“Defeating the NESE Pipeline has taught us a great deal about the hidden toxic emissions that come from the compressor stations. More than ever, we should encourage our municipalities to find new ways to use renewables, such as community solar, to replace our use of natural gas,” said Kip Cherry, Conservation Chair of the NJ Sierra Club Central Group.
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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information about our work in New Jersey, visit www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey.