Governor Murphy, NJ Dept. of Env. Protection: Protect the North Jersey Highlands: Stop the Unpermitted Illegal Fracked Gas Compressor Construction in the Highlands, Deny a New Exemption from the Highlands Act

On August 31, an NJ Superior Court ruled that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) should not have issued a Highlands Act exemption to Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP) to build its massive East 300 pipeline expansion project in the Highlands Preservation Area, and remanded the permit decision back to DEP for further evaluation

This watershed decision comes after years of organizing from residents and activists across the region who have been fighting plans for this massive pipeline expansion project in NJ. Despite this ruling, Governor Murphy’s DEP failed to immediately stop the ongoing illegal construction activity on the West Milford compressor station. Instead, the DEP is soliciting comments from the public about whether or not to re-issue the same permit exemption to TGP - while TGP continues its unpermitted construction of the major highlands development in the preservation area.

Send a Public Comment to Governor Murphy, DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourett, and the Highlands Council to reject TGP’s latest request for a Highlands Act permit exemption.

Governor Murphy and his DEP should also use their authority to deny the entire project, including the major expansion of the existing polluting compressor facility in Wantage. In light of NY state’s recently passed ban on new gas hookups, there is no need for this gas, and of course, we’re in a deepening climate emergency made worse by fracked gas projects like this one.