For Immediate Release

August 7, 2019

Live Facebook Stream: https://www.facebook.com/EmpowerNJNoFossilFuel/videos/2355474641383615/?notif_id=1565198630892897&notif_t=live_video_explicit

Empower NJ Calls on Murphy to Stop Pinelands Pipeline

The Empower NJ Coalition will be holding a rally in Plumstead, NJ calling on Governor Murphy to put a stay on the Southern Reliability Link pipeline and a moratorium on all new fossil fuel projects.

“We are here today to call on Governor Murphy to stop this foolishness, stop this madness, and stop the SRL pipeline. He must stand with the people of New Jersey who want clean energy and want to be safe from this dangerous pipeline. In their quarterly report, NJNG shows their SRL pipeline will be finished by the end of next year, this shows how arrogant they really are. Murphy can stand with the people or he can stand with the fracking and gas oil companies against us. This is no time to call balls and strikes, this is a time when you must act and you must act on behalf of the people who elected you. Stopping SRL has become even more important because PennEast is coming,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Chesterfield, North Hanover and Burlington sold us out but Governor, you can undo what they did by putting a stay on this project right now. We need to stop the road permits and stop this project so we can have our day in court and prevent this project from going into Burlington County.

Despite being in ongoing litigation, NJNG’s Southern Reliability Link Pipeline (SRL) has started construction in Ocean County and just received road opening permits to build in Burlington County.

“We have been fighting for our community, the Pinelands and frankly for all of New Jersey, for over 4 years, and after so many kicks in the face from government officials cow towing to the fossil fuel industry, we are begging Governor Murphy to keep his promises and Stop the SRL! For all of us in New Jersey, declare an immediate moratorium on all new fossil fuel projects,” said Agnes Marsala, President

People Over Pipelines

The Southern Reliability Link is a 28-mile gas pipeline that could destroy environmentally sensitive land in the Pinelands and threaten communities along the route in Burlington, Ocean, and Monmouth Counties. It would pass near homes, schools, and even forests prone to fires.

“Governor Murphy was elected in no small part because of his commitment to reversing eight years of environmental rollbacks under the Christie administration, and jumpstarting the fight against climate change with a rapid transition to 100% clean energy. Yet the Governor’s actions to date haven’t lived up to his lofty rhetoric. There is no better example of the Governors fossil fuel hypocrisy than the administration’s failure to halt construction on a major fracked gas pipeline that’s currently tearing through the ecologically sensitive and preserved Pinelands in Ocean and Burlington Counties. Despite the fact that the need for New Jersey Natural Gas companies’ SRL pipeline is being challenged in court, and the fact that the project was only approved after Governor Christie and Senate President Sweeney conspired to stack the Pinelands Commission with their pro-pipeline appointees, Governor Murphy has failed to order a stay on construction until the pending challenges to the legality of the project permits have their day in court. So while Governor Murphy has been busy touting his new energy master plan as a tool to fight climate change and achieve 100% clean energy, he’s simultaneously giving the green light to destructive and unnecessary fossil fuel expansion projects like the SRL pipeline,” said Matt Smith, Senior Organizer, Food & Water Watch. “Thankfully the governor has a small but closing window to halt the harm before it’s too late. By enacting a moratorium on fossil fuel expansion projects, Governor Murphy can fulfill his commitments to protect clean water, healthy communities and a livable climate future, or he can continue to let fossil fuel companies exploit our essential resources while his environmental legacy and our planet go up in flames.”

The project would cut through the ecologically-sensitive Pinelands and threaten one of the largest sources of fresh drinking water on the east coast. The Pinelands is the largest open space on the eastern seaboard and recognized for its biodiversity by the United Nations. It is also the country’s first National Reserve and holds 17 trillion gallons of water in its aquifer. When the Pinelands Act was passed forty years ago, one of the major reasons was to prevent pipelines coming through to connect offshore oil to refineries in south Jersey.

“The SRL pipeline is illegal; it violates the regulatory laws that govern the Pinelands National Reserve. It puts countless people at risk, including the 1 million who rely on the Kirkwood Cohansey aquifer for drinking water, and construction will destroy habitat for the unique species that call the Pinelands home. Other politicians have given in to New Jersey Natural Gas, who has never demonstrated that this pipeline is necessary for service, and other politicians have accepted millions of dollars in fees and settlements,” said Rhyan Grech, Policy Advocate, Pinelands Preservation Alliance. “We’re calling on Governor Murphy to be the elected representative who stands up for the health and safety of NJ residents, to stop construction of the SRL and allow the courts to hear and decide the cases against the pipeline.”

NJNG is building at their own risk while risking public safety and the environment. If the pipeline is stopped, taxpayers will have to bear the cost of taking it out. NJNG should be prohibited from beginning any construction on their pipeline until the entire project is approved.

“We need a fossil fuel moratorium on all new projects now. Period. Full Stop. In addition to the Southern Reliability Link pipeline, which is currently under construction, there are proposed fossil fuel projects in every corner of the state that threaten public health, local communities, and our economy,” said Eric Benson, Clean Water Action, Campaign Director. “The fossil fuel industry is trying to lock us into a carbon future for the next 100 years, and we need to stand up and shout, ‘No More!”