Chesterfield, North Hanover Drop SRL Pipeline Lawsuits

Chesterfield and North Hanover officials have agreed to drop lawsuits challenging the construction of the Southern Reliability Link pipeline. New Jersey Natural Gas has agreed to pay money for road repairs and to cover legal fees in exchange for the litigation to be dropped. NJNG has been building the pipeline that will cut across the pipeline despite ongoing lawsuits.

WHenthey ran for office, they said the opposed this project. They were elected to stop it. Not only reversed course, but signed on to this treacherous deal that would allow construction to continue while we’re still in court fighting it.

“The public was sold out last night by the Chesterfield and North Hanover town councils. These towns have been fighting alongside all of us against the damaging and dangerous Southern Reliability Link pipeline. When they ran for office they said they opposed the project. They were elected to stop it. Not only did they reverse course, but they signed on to this treacherous deal that would allow construction to continue while we’re still in court fighting it. They’ve shamefully violated their oath of office. They didn’t just sell out the people, they’re also putting them at risk by allowing a dangerous pipeline to cut right through their communities,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.  

The proposed Southern Reliability Link (SRL) pipeline would connect to a compressor station in Chesterfield and run 28 miles of pipe through Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean counties. The line would threaten the ecosystems, communities and drinking water in the Pinelands.

“The people elected officials in Chesterfield and North Hanover to protect them and the environment by blocking New Jersey Natural Gas from moving forward with the pipeline. Instead, they’re allowing it to move forward. NJNG has already been blocking streets and digging up homes in Ocean County for the pipeline. Now they’ll be doing it in Chesterfield and North Hanover. This pipeline will cause irreparable harm to the environment and become an economic burden to taxpayers. Its dastardly that NJNG is trying to build this pipeline while we are still in court fighting them. The residents would have to pay to remove the pipe because BPU does not require NJNG to pay for it,” said Tittel. “We have a very strong case that this pipeline violates the Comprehensive Management Plan. We believe we can prevail, but if we lose, it’s because of them leaving the case and betraying the public. They switched sides and joined NJNG against their own communities. “

The Southern Reliability Link pipeline is one of 8 proposed natural gas pipeline in New Jersey. The New Jersey Sierra Club is part of the Empower NJ coalition that has called for a moratorium on all fossil-fuel projects in the state.

“These settlements by Chesterfield and North Hanover allowing the pipeline to move forward show again why we need a moratorium on all fossil-fuel projects in the state. We have tried to get a stay on the SRL pipeline, but construction continues. If New Jersey’s 8 proposed pipelines, 6 power plants and an LNG port are all built, our greenhouse gases will increase 32 percent. Gov. Murphy has continued to say silent on a moratorium. With Democrats like these, who needs Republicans,” said Tittel.

Burlington County freeholders recently allowed their engineer to issue permits to NJNG to dig up more roads. Democratic freeholders were elected last year and pledged to rescind permits allowing pipeline construction that Republicans approved during lame duck last December.

“This is another new low in government with the support of the SRL pipelines. These are elected officials who publicly opposed the pipeline and now are doing the opposite to pay off legal fees. It is shameful that the leaders of Chesterfield and North Hanover are allowing NJNG to move forward on a project that is unneeded, unwanted and dangerous,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “These settlements will cause irreparable harm by allowing NJNG to dig up people’s lawns and put dangerous, explosive pipelines within feet of people’s homes.”