NJ Joins NY in Denying Permits for Hotly Contested Natural-Gas Pipeline

SEATTLE (Oil Monster): New Jersey regulators followed New York's in denying key permits for the Williams Transco pipeline Wednesday, prompting its developer to promise to reapply in the Garden State.

The proposed $1 billion pipeline, from Tulsa-based William Cos., would carry natural gas from Pennsylvania through New Jersey, under a bay and the ocean to New York. The company says the pipeline is necessary to ensure adequate heating fuel for the New York region.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection rejected the permits—including one for waterfront development and wetlands works—without prejudice, meaning the company can try again.

The company was similarly rebuffed by New York regulators for a water-quality permit last month. The developer has reapplied there as well. In the meantime, National Grid has stopped processing new applications for natural-gas hookups in its Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island service territories until the project is approved.

Environmental advocates argued the pipeline would threaten marine life while locking in dependence on fossil fuels for decades to come.

Courtesy: www.crainsnewyork.com