Murphy Should Cut the SJG Pipeline- Not the Ribbon for its Headquarters

Governor Murphy will be cutting a ribbon today for South Jersey Gas’s new headquarters in Atlantic City. The event will be hosted by South Jersey Industries President and CEO Michael J. Renna, SJI Utilities President Dave Robbins and South Jersey Gas President and Chief Operations Officer Craig Jennings. This event will be located at 1 S. Jersey Place.

“It’s good the Governor is cutting a ribbon today for business growth in Atlantic City. What he should be doing is also cutting GHG emissions by stopping the South Jersey Gas (SJG) pipeline. This pipeline would cut a scar in the middle of the Pinelands National Reserve and have tremendous amount of climate impacts,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “If Governor Murphy really wants to cut GHG’s in New Jersey, then he should cut this pipeline, not a ribbon for a company that wants to build it.”

South Jersey Gas wants to build SJG pipeline that would go through the southern part of the Pinelands to connect into the B.L. England plant. The plant would emit an estimated 900,000 metric tons of C02 emission per year in New Jersey. The SGJ pipeline would violate the Pinelands CMP and create air and water pollution that threatens communities and contaminates drinking water. Sierra Club is currently in litigation over the South Jersey Gas (SJG) pipeline. Despite being held up in court, the Murphy Administration granted South Jersey Gas permit extensions.

“The purpose of this pipeline is to build a natural gas plant in Cape May. The B.L. England natural gas plant would be the largest polluter and greenhouse gas emitter in this part of South Jersey. If Murphy allows this plant to be repowered with natural gas, it will become a major roadblock to his goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050. The proposed SJG pipeline would destroy sensitive ecosystems of the Pinelands which is why we are currently in court fighting the pipeline,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “To reach Murphy’s renewable energy goals, we must stop a gas-plant from coming into the site and stop the SJG pipeline from being built into it. Governor Murphy should be cutting a ribbon for offshore wind, not natural gas companies.”

Phil Murphy, as a candidate, promised to appoint people to the commission who support the protection of the Pinelands.  Nine months into his term and he still has not appointed or even nominated any.

“Besides stopping the SJG pipeline, Governor Murphy has not appointed any new Pineland Commissioners, which means Christie’s policies are still in place. We need new members on the Pinelands Commission is to protect this environmentally-sensitive areas from natural gas pipelines like SJG. What’s even worse is the Murphy Administration already granted SJG’s permit extensions,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “If the Governor is committed to getting to 100% renewable and protecting the Pinelands, then he should stop SJG’s dangerous and unneeded pipeline through the Pinelands. If the Governor cut the ribbon and cut out the pipeline, then it would be a good day for the environment.”