Another new dangerous high-volume fossil fuel expansion project is being planned for New Jersey. The Williams Company is planning to extend their gas pipeline throughout our state through its proposed Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE) project. This would be one of the largest proposed pipeline expansion projects in New Jersey in recent years, exceeded only by the volume of gas that would have been piped through the PennEast Pipeline. In fact, this pipeline is the industry’s response to its failure to build PennEast, which studies showed was never needed.

The REAE capacity is 829,000,000 cubic feet of gas per day. (PennEast’s planned capacity was 1,1000,000,000). The REAE project will add over 18MMT (million metric tons) of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) of greenhouse gases (GHG) per year to New Jersey’s inventory of GHGs, which is also equivalent to an 18% increase in our total GHG annual emission level. Building a pipeline of this capacity means ‘game-over’ for achieving any of Governor Murphy’s goals to reduce GHGs, especially the goal of reducing GHGs 50% by 2030. It should be perfectly clear to Governor Murphy that inaction (let alone support) on this project is simply ludicrous and a direct contradiction of every one of his statements and policies on climate change.

This project would also include major compressor station expansions in Branchburg and Old Bridge as well as a new compressor station in West Deptford. Compressor stations emit methane and other toxic air pollutants. They wreak havoc on the planet and human health. Pollution from compressor stations can lead to difficulty breathing, worsening of asthma and other respiratory diseases, high blood pressure, headaches, cardiac problems — and even premature death. The overall increase of GHGs from this pipeline will, of course, only worsen all the known problems caused by climate change.

Please demand Governor Murphy reject permits for this dangerous fracked gas project!