Letters to the Editor, Trenton NJ Express-Times, August 27, 2018

Signs protesting against PennEast are posted at the entrance of the Baldwin Lake Wilderness Management Area at a protest event in 2014. (Mary Iuvone | For The Times)

One of the most important tools in battles to stop unnecessary pipelines is the 401 Water Quality Certificate. The Clean Water Act gives power to states to certify that pipeline projects don’t pollute waterways. It’s something the Federal Energy Regulator Commission can’t get around.

Now Congress wants to block states from using this certificate to fight pipelines. This is shameful behavior by Washington’s fossil fools to help the gas industry. We need our House members and senators to block attempts to pass this disastrous legislation.

The 401 Water Quality Certificate has been the most successful tools in preventing pipelines. New York denied a 401 permit for the proposed Constitution Pipeline; the Island East pipeline was stopped in Connecticut. Both decisions were upheld in court. In New Jersey, we are using the 401 Certificate for stopping dangerous pipelines, including PennEast, from being built.

Even if Congress passes this terrible bill, we can still stop pipelines with our wetlands rules, which we have federal authority for, and flood hazard rules. However, former Gov. Chris Christie weakened both rules to make it easier to build pipelines.

Under pre-Christie rules, it was much harder to get the necessary individual permits since they had to prove need and no impact to streams or wetlands. His changes including making them general permits, which declares there is no impact. These are much easier for pipeline companies to obtain.

Gov. Phil Murphy must fix these rules and strengthen them to protect our clean water and protect us against pipelines.

Jeff Tittel, Director
New Jersey Sierra Club, Trenton

Source: https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2018/08/_letter_377.html