A plan to transport liquefied natural gas from Pennsylvania to New Jersey and New York is progressing. This development follows the decision by Tulsa-based Williams Companies to abandon their Transco pipeline project. The company informed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that it would allow its construction application to expire, marking a victory for environmentalists who opposed the pipeline due to concerns over wetland destruction and pollution.
The Transco pipeline project would have involved a gas-fired compressor station in Franklin Township and the installation of over 23 miles of pipeline through the Raritan and Lower New York bays to the Rockaway section of Queens in New York City.
Despite the termination of the Transco pipeline, plans to transport liquefied natural gas from Pennsylvania to New Jersey continue. Delaware River Partners and Bradford County Real Estate Partners remain committed to their proposed project to liquefy natural gas in Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, and transport it to an export facility in Gibbstown, New Jersey, by tanker truck.
Environmental groups have expressed concerns over this alternative plan. Patrick Grenter, a campaign director with the Sierra Club, described the decision as 'unnecessary and reckless,' and pledged to continue fighting the project until it is officially canceled.
The companies have not yet responded to these criticisms. However, in a filing to the agency on Friday, Bradford stated that its Wyalusing facility is designed to not need rail cars and is 'unimpacted' by the federal moratorium on such transport. For this reason, the company is proceeding with its plans.