The mayor and city council of Lambertville unanimously adopted two resolutions on Monday aimed at stopping the proposed PennEast Pipeline.
The PennEast Pipeline is a proposed project by PennEast Pipeline Company, a consortium of six energy companies, to move natural gas from the Marcellus Shale region in Pennsylvania to New Jersey.
Lambertville says the proposed 116-mile pipeline poses a threat to the city’s water supply and to the Delaware River.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in our battle to defeat this ill-advised pipeline,” said Lambertville Mayor Dave Del Vecchio. “Now that most of the decisions going forward will be made by New Jersey and regional agencies, we are confident that the fate of this project will be decided on the merits. And the merits favor us.”
Lambertville Mayor Dave Del Vecchio.
The first resolution approved by the city calls for a rehearing of the project’s approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Lambertville formally requested the rehearing because the necessary approvals from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Delaware River Basin Commission are not in place, according to city officials.
“The city does not expect FERC, which tends to rubber stamp pipeline proposals, to reverse their decision, but requesting the rehearing preserves the city’s right to sue, among other advantages,” they said.
Map showing the old route (yellow & red) and the current route (yellow & black) – (Map by Round Mountain Ecological, LLC for Hopewell Township)
The second resolution approved by city leaders calls on NJDEP to strengthen the state freshwater wetlands rules, which were weakened by the Christie administration, according to the city. Lambertville is asking for the previous standards to be reinstated.
“The State of New Jersey, through the NJDEP, should strengthen the Freshwater Wetlands Rules to protect against the following: destruction of our pristine waterways, permits without oversight, permits for 10 years instead of 5 years, and raising the standards for water quality impacts to prohibit temporary disturbances that have lasting effects on wetlands, and limit the buffers and transition areas that used to be required for construction of pipelines,” city officials said in their announcement.
There are literally dozens of pipelines already running throughout PA and NJ already. Another one is not needed.The gas being moved will likely be shipped overseas anyway, to the highest bidder on the free market. Local residents get stuck with all the pollution, mess, and explosion risk, in addition to losing their property, while the private energy consortiums building the pipelines get all the profits. Local residents get screwed.
Regarding the concern with the pipeline can we not learn from the pipeline that runs though Solebury, under the Delaware River by Rte 202 then east just North of Lambertville.
Won’t the new pipeline have a similar local effect? If it is a major problem, then the concerns will be justified and not oly should Penn East be abandoned, but the existing pipeline should be shut down as well. And if it is not damaging the river and drinking water, then it is wrong to use them to raise fears.