FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Blair Nelsen
Email: water@waterspirit.org
Phone: 732-923-9788
Waterspirit Statement on the Tidelands Resource Council Decision to License Pollution in New Jersey Waters and Lands
If Gov. Sherrill approves Trump’s dirty pipeline, New Jersey residents and business owners would suffer unknown losses.
New Jersey - May 6, 2026 - Waterspirit is heartbroken by yesterday’s Tidelands Resource Council’s unanimous approval of a utility license for the Williams/Transco Northeast Supply Enchancement (NESE) project. This decision advances a thrice-denied, risky Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline and compressor station that would do nothing to lower New Jersey’s energy costs while saddling us with excessive air and water pollution for generations. Waterspirit, local organizations, and residents of all backgrounds have been educating the public about the science and risk for a decade, celebrating the projects prevention back in 2024. Regardless of the current unanimous rejection by all of the Bayshore Mayors and lengthy testimony that included elected officials, the Tidelands Resource Council opted to lease NJ’s land to corporate polluters. While Governor Sherrill still has the opportunity to reject this toxicity, she has so far remained reticent to opposing the NESE project. Challenges to the permits issued last fall will continue to play out in the court system.
“The Tidelands Resource Council’s decision to license this polluting project is a deep wound to our shared watersheds and the web of life that water sustains. Greenlighting the NESE Project is tantamount to sacrificing of our children's future on the altar of greed. How will you be able to look them in the eye? We are heartbroken by this choice. Treating our waterways as mere resources to be exploited causes us to forget that water is our lifeblood and a sacred trust. We will continue to act as guardians of the water, which, thanks to this reckless decision, is needed now more than ever,” said Blair Nelsen, Executive Director, Waterspirit.
About Waterspirit
Founded in 1998, Waterspirit is a spiritual ecology nonprofit grounded in the belief that water is sacred and must be protected. Through education, advocacy and contemplative practice, Waterspirit fosters non-denominational spiritual connection and environmental protection to heal Earth’s waters.
For media inquiries, interview requests, or to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Blair Nelsen, water@waterspirit.org