After 4 hours of testimony forced through an inaccessible virtual platform for the “minor” air permit related to this proposal and we must ask: Will any of the voices who spoke make a difference in the way NJDEP and Governor Murphy or Governor Hochul vote on this? Time will tell; get and stay connected. Below is our shared statement with those using their voices to educate and advocate for sacred water and life:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOV. 13, 2025
Elected officials, advocates Condemn Approval of Permits for NESE and call on Gov. Murphy and DEP to stand strong against unnecessary and dangerous gas pipeline
Contact: Anthony Campisi
Anthony@WalnutLaneStrategies.com
(732) 266-8221
A coalition of local elected officials and environmental advocates gathered in Aberdeen Township on the Raritan Bayshore yesterday to condemn Governor Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)’s recent approval of water quality permits for the NESE pipeline, a dangerous and unnecessary fossil fuel project that will saddle working families with higher energy costs and endanger the state’s air and water quality. The groups further called on the administration to deny future permits and vowed to challenge the decision.
Last week, the DEP issued a key permit the project, which is being built by fossil fuel behemoth Williams-Transco, needs to advance. It is holding a virtual public hearing on required air permits this Thursday.
“We are deeply disappointed that Governor Murphy’s DEP failed to protect New Jerseyans from the dangerous water impacts of the NESE pipeline projects,” said Ed Potosnak, Executive Director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. “This zombie pipeline project, which the DEP previously rejected multiple times, has been brought back solely because it advances Donald Trump’s extreme fossil fuel agenda. The state now has one chance remaining to do the right thing by denying Transco the air quality permits it needs. At a time when New Jerseyans are demanding their elected officials fight against an extreme MAGA agenda that will raise costs and harm our environment, we hope that Governor Murphy stands strong.”
While environmental regulators in both New Jersey and New York had previously rejected the NESE pipeline project, the developer reversed course and brought it back soon after Trump took office — without making any major changes to it to mitigate the health impacts.
The project would endanger water quality in the Raritan Bay, an ecologically sensitive area, by disturbing polluted sediment that is sitting on the riverbed, as well as construct a new compressor station in Franklin Township, Somerset County.
"As we leave here today and continue to fight the construction of NESE, Governor Murphy must understand that this is his legacy. As he leaves public office, he will be remembered as the Governor who did not stand up for New Jersey, but capitulated to the whims of the federal government rather than protecting his citizens, if he doesn’t stop this. Governor Murphy, you can still stop this and regain your standing as a leader on climate and protecting New Jersey. If not, your name will be on this pipeline, and you will be responsible for the harm it will cause," said Madison Wurst, Clean Ocean Action, Ocean Policy Advocate.
"The New Jersey DEP's approval of the destructive fossil fuel NESE pipeline moves New Jersey in the wrong direction, away from the renewable power sources our state needs to achieve its goals for clean air, clean water, and clean energy," says Patty Cronheim of Rethink Energy NJ. ”At a time when clean energy policies are being rolled back at the federal level, states must use their authority to counter these policy changes to keep moving forward toward a sustainable future."
"The NESE pipeline makes no sense,” stated Greg Remaud, NY/NY Baykeeper. “Residents have worked with the EPA for 15 years to remove lead at the Raritan Bay SLAG Superfund site, and now the NESE pipeline would be trenched next to it and resuspending mercury, copper and other contaminants."
“Last weeks rulings by NY and NJ to advance water permits for the "NESE" pipeline showcase a stunning betrayal of science, public trust and moral responsibility. At a time when both states are under drought watch—when every drop of clean, sacred water matters more than ever—these agencies have chosen to act against the people they serve. After decades of progress through Superfund Act cleanups and tireless work to restore once toxic waterways, these approvals drag everyone alive today backward, undoing hard-won protections and endangering the lives those laws were meant to protect. The legacies of our leaders will be judged in this moment—and by the suffering it allows. For New Jersey’s children, elders, and all dependent upon clean air and water, this is not just bad policy—it is a travesty,” said Rachel Dawn Davis, Public Policy & Justice Organizer at Waterspirit.
“Governor Murphy is selling out Central Jersey by granting approvals to this dirty project. Williams Transco failed to demonstrate that its proposal meets New Jersey’s water quality standards, but Murphy’s DEP rushed to approve it anyway, despite massive public opposition and a woefully inadequate public hearing process. New Jersey deserves better,” said Charlie Kratovil, Central Jersey Organizer at Food & Water Watch.
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