PennEast Pipeline

The NJ Sierra Club and every municipality in Hunterdon County is on the record as opposing the proposed PennEast natural gas pipeline.  Environmental groups and historic groups have also officially opposed it.  Hundreds of citizens have also weighed in, the overwhelming majority speaking against this pipeline.  What is everyone so worried about?

The PennEast pipeline, spanning 114 miles, would begin in Luzerne County, PA, north of Wilkes-Barre. The route would cross the Delaware River near Riegelsville, NJ, then traverse Hunterdon County to the edge of Mercer County.

• Click here for an interactive map of the proposed route.
• Click here for USGS topographic maps of the proposed route (Adobe Acrobat required).

The pipeline’s crossing near Riegelsville would be within the Lower Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River. Near its southern terminus, the pipeline would cut through the Sourland Mountain, which contains the last contiguous forested areas in central New Jersey and has been recognized as a unique and fragile ecosystem.  From its origin in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, to its destination in Mercer County, New Jersey, the pipeline would cross more than 88 waterways, 44 wetlands, 30 parks, and 33 conservation easements.  In New Jersey, 6 streams carrying the Category 1 designation for their exceptional ecological significance, will be crossed, some more than once. 

PennEast has not denied that the natural gas transported from the fracking fields of Pennsylvania would most likely be sent offshore as liquefied natural gas, which is more profitable than selling to individual customers would be. Nor has PennEast proven that there is a need for more natural gas in the region.

The NJ Sierra Club is concerned that the route would destroy open space, farmland, and historic sites; that the fracking gold rush is leaving NJ crisscrossed by unnecessary pipelines; and that the emphasis on extraction of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is steering us away from sources of clean, renewable energy.

Photos from our Walk Against the PennEast Pipeline on October 8, 2016.

See a video of our kayaking rally on June 18, 2016:

And read more coverage of the event.

See a video of our march/rally across the Delaware River on August 22, 2015:

See photos from our rally at: World Rivers Day on March 20, 2016.

To get involved in the fight, contact Jamie Zaccaria at jamie.zaccaria@sierraclub.org .

Read Sierra Club Press Releases on the PennEast pipeline here:

Read the Sierra Club letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Read the Strong Rebuttal to PennEast from West Amwell Township.