DEP Must Pull Permits for Roseland Compressor Station

The New Jersey Sierra Club today joined elected officials and other environmental groups calling on DEP to reconsider its decision to give permits for the Roseland compressor station. The new station is part of Williams Transco’s Gateway Expansion Project. The compressor station will create more pollution and flooding in the region. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement.

“DEP is permitting a disaster to take place on the banks of the Passaic River in Roseland. The Roseland compressor station will bring more water and air pollution and flooding to the area. We believe DEP should not have granted these permits in the first place. That’s why we have called on DEP to rescind its permits for the compressor station. We have also appealed the permits because of the environmental impacts.  Compressor stations are dangerous to the health, safety and environment of the people living near it.  The Passaic River is already one of the most flood-prone rivers in the country, and filling in wetlands for the project will make it worse. Industrial runoff including metals such as chromium, volatile organic chemicals and oil will be released into the river. Compressor stations release toxic chemicals such as methane, ethane, and MTBEs, as well as other greenhouse gases. An explosion or leak could threaten communities, destroy important habitat ­­and add pollution to the waterways.

“DEP sided with dirty power and dirty water in granting the permits for the Roseland Compressor station. The DEP was wrong in granting these permits based on their own rules as well as violating the public trust. Transco wants to put a 33,000-horsepower compressor station adjacent to an existing 27,500-horsepower station, both of which would be located next to high-tension interstate electric transmission lines and next to a switching station, all within a flood plain next to the Passaic River. DEP said the station will cause temporary disturbance to the buffer, but there is no such thing. The project will cause permanent damage, cutting down trees and removing wetlands that act as natural storm barriers and water filters. Increased flooding will impact properties and drinking water intakes.

“We thank Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., Roseland Mayor James Spango, the Essex County Environmental Center, and other environmental groups for supporting the effort to rescind the permits.  Transco’s proposal would mean more gas and more pressure, increasing the chance of an accident. The people of Essex County, including members of the Sierra Club in those areas, have been fighting against this infrastructure for years, especially the Roseland compressor station. They have complained about the risks of air pollution and safety concerns as well as the failure of Transco to address their concerns. The project would create both known and unknown compounding risks for the nearby residents, businesses, schools and critical infrastructure for the Borough of Roseland, as well as East Hanover and other towns.

“DEP has never met a fossil-fuel project they didn’t like. DEP granting these permits shows us why we need the governor to stop them by placing a moratorium on all fossil-fuel infrastructure projects. The Empower NJ coalition, including the New Jersey Sierra Club, has called for the moratorium as a critical step if we are to reach the goal of 100 percent renewable energy and reduce climate impacts. New Jersey’s 5 proposed power plants and 8 proposed pipelines would, if approved, increase the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent. DEP must rescind its permits for the Roseland compressor station.”