Williams Co. owns and operates the Transco pipeline
Federal regulators granted approval Thursday to Williams Co. to move ahead with a $116 million natural gas expansion project that has drawn much opposition.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the company a certificate of public convenience and necessity, authorizing it to construct and operate the Garden State Expansion Project.
"Based on the benefits the project will provide and the minimal adverse impacts on existing shippers, other pipelines and their captive customers, and landowners and surrounding communities, we find ... that the public convenience and necessity requires approval of Transco's proposal," the 55-page order reads.
The two-phase project involves building a 30,500-horsepower electric-powered compressor that would take gas from its Trenton Woodbury line and send it into a 30-inch New Jersey Natural Gas pipeline that was approved in January. An adjacent meter and regulating station in Chesterfield will be built and a compressor station in Lawrence will be upgraded.
The project, like other pipeline proposals in the state, faced criticism from residents, elected officials and environmental groups.
"FERC has shown that it's just a rubberstamp for the industry it's supposed to regulate," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "FERC has sold out the communities of Chesterfield and New Jersey by approving this dirty and dangerous project without a proper review or public comment."
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Some concerns focused on the cumulative impact the project would have because of its interdependence on the PennEast and Southern Reliability Link projects.
"We conclude there is no requirement that the Commission consider any of these projects in conjunction with the proposed Garden State Expansion Project as one project in a single environmental analysis," the commissioners wrote. "We are satisfied that the (environmental assessment)'s cumulative impacts analysis fully conforms to the Commission's obligations under (National Environmental Policy Act)."
Tittel said the Sierra Club is looking into challenging both the SRL and GSE projects.
"FERC has let Transco steamroll them into building their unneeded and unnecessary compressor station," he said.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.