PUTTING TOGETHER OUR GAME PLAN
August 29, 2019
We have always said we would reach a crucial juncture when the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection faces the approval of the proposed PennEast Pipeline! Now is the time for us to take the action to halt this unneeded and harmful proposal and bring our communities the victory for which we have all fought so long and hard.
Getting our Act Together
New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF) and HALT will be meeting with federal, state and local community leaders; Citizens Against the Pipeline groups (CAPS); our environmental allies and other friends to coordinate collective actions.
Update on PennEast Application Submission
The next critical step is for NJDEP to formally acknowledge receipt of the PennEast application on their website bulletin, which hasn’t happened yet. The next NJDEP bulletin is scheduled on September 4. We will advise you if the announcement occurs then. Whenever the announcement occurs, it will be the start of a 30 day public comment period. However, several groups are likely to ask for an additional 30 day extension or more.
Homeowner and Citizen Comments to NJDEP
Once the NJDEP formal announcement occurs, homeowners and citizens are encouraged to send multiple letters to NJDEP voicing their concerns and opposition either on-line or in the mail (addresses will be provided). These emails/letters should cover property-specific matters, as well as, general issues of a substantive nature. HALT members will receive a sample list of hard-hitting general talking-points that could be included in your comments.
In order to get property specific information, at present, homeowners can:
- Go to their township office, to review a copy of the application. Citizens Against the Pipeline (CAP) teams are planning to work with the townships to set-up times for homeowners to come in and review the information.
- Search the digital version of PennEast’s application to NJDEP (just made available) at https://www.nj.gov/dep/penneast/application.html?fbclid=IwAR3IFgNhmgN8nF9_0S2xUZUsEF_0Km6hUOO9Aefup3ISGE4qAMmmm8SMmWg
- Review segments of the PennEast application posted on “Cost of the Pipeline” at https://thecostofthepipeline.com/2019/08/14/penneast-njdep-application-highlights/?sfns=mo
Please include in your communications a statement written in your own words, which encourages NJDEP to reject the application outright. Sample statement: “NJDEP has sufficient data on wildlife and water impacts in the record submitted by outside experts showing that the project can’t meet NJ’s strict environmental standards and must be denied.”
Homeowner Activities and Other News
- Send multiple comments to NJDEP (see above).
- Sign the online petition to tell the NJDEP to reject permits for PennEast. Link: https://www.greenactions.org/stop-penneast?sc=halt
- Join your friends and neighbors who have been working as one against the PennEast project at a rally and picnic event on September 15, noon to 3pm at Cavallo Park, Mt. Hope Street, Lambertville. This event, hosted by NJ Sierra Club, is a celebration for the family of PennEast-fighters and a call-to-arms for us to continue our efforts to stop the dangerous and unnecessary pipeline! There will be speakers and we encourage everyone to bring a picnic lunch and join us. RSVP:taylor.mcfarland@sierraclub.org Facebook Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/376592206338282/
- Celebrate a U.S District Court decision which found in favor of the State of Maryland over the Columbia Gas Line. This suit is based on the same grounds that NJ argued against PennEast. That is, a private enterprise cannot seize state lands based on the principle of sovereign immunity. This decision sets a strong precedent for other courts to consider, such as the NJ Third Circuit Court. See video with homeowner response: https://www.facebook.com/easternpanhandleprotectors/videos/509198149831796/UzpfSTE1NjgxNjk2ODY6Vks6MjM0MzU2ODk4NTg4NDgxNQ/
STAY TUNED AND KEEP YOUR NEIGHBORS INFORMED
Happy Labor Day Weekend
HALT PennEast 