Watershed council opposes proposed LNG facility

KEYPORT — Local environmental groups are urging Gov. Chris Christie to continue his opposition to three proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities planned for the Jersey Shore.

The Bayshore Regional Watershed Council and Clean Ocean Action (COA) are encouraging residents to write letters to the governor and local elected officials to oppose the LNG plans.

The watershed council discussed the issue at its meeting at Keyport Borough Hall on March 11.

“We don’t feel [LNG] is necessary or [that[ it’s beneficial to our area here in the Bayshore, and we want to make sure Chris Christie understands that,” said Joseph S. Reynolds, cochairman of the Bayshore Regional Watershed Council. “Chris Christie has come out during his campaign that he is against LNG along the coast of New Jersey. We want to hold him to his promise, because as you know, politicians sometimes break promises. We want to make sure he does not break this particular promise.”

In 2007, the Atlantic Sea Island Group proposed a plan called Safe Harbor Energy to construct a 63-acre man-made LNG island facility off the coast of Sea Bright.

Under the proposal, the facility would be capable of delivering up to 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day to the New York/New Jersey metropolitan region.

Two other facilities are proposed for Asbury Park and the Manasquan Inlet by Liberty Natural Gas and ExxonMobil.

“Wherever it’s going to be, they want to put a pipe in the Bayshore area, and that pipe will connect to those facilities and then connect up to Linden,” Reynolds said. “That pipe will go right past Sandy Hook, Highlands, Atlantic Highlands, Union Beach and Keyport. Putting that pipeline in the bay will have an impact on people’s lives in this bay. It’s a dangerous situation, and it’s really not needed.”

During the election campaign, Christie, who defeated Jon Corzine on Nov. 3, ran on a ticket that included opposing the LNG facility for the New Jersey coastline.

However, more needs to be done on the local level, said Noreen Benjaminsen, outreach coordinator for Clean Ocean Action (COA), who attended the meeting.

“We definitely need more [support from] our own [representatives] in District 11 in Monmouth County,” Benjaminsen said. “During Christie’s election campaign, a lot of the reason why he won Monmouth County was because of his position on LNG, but he left a little bit of wiggle room in his wording. We want him to not be able to wiggle out of that.”

According to COA, LNG is a form of super-chilled natural gas that reaches below 259 degrees Fahrenheit. Over two-thirds of the world’s natural gas is located in Russia and the Middle East.

Both groups are saying LNG would industrialize the Raritan-Hudson estuary and increase dependency on foreign oil.

“We need to contact our local legislators because they haven’t come out for it, but they haven’t come out against it,” Benjaminsen said. “They are just remaining quiet. They are not stepping up to the plate like they should be and supporting their local constituents.”

The watershed council and COA also cite environmental and public health risks associated with the plans, including possible diesel, oil or sewage spills in the bay. Each proposed facility could harm the environmentally sensitive Bayshore area by damaging the sea floor, water quality and fish habitats, according to COA.

Opposition to the three proposals has sparked local opposition. Many Monmouth County towns — including Hazlet, Union Beach, Middletown and Keyport, as well as the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders — have drafted resolutions opposing the LNG facility, said Reynolds, who is also a member of the Monmouth County Environmental Council.

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th District) is also against the proposals.

“I encourage all towns to get resolutions against it and write letters to Chris Christie to vote no on LNG,” he said. “We have enough natural gas in North America in the United States. We don’t really need LNG. There is no need for it.”

Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger voiced his concerns about LNG at the March 1 Township Committee meeting and said he will be approving a resolution on March 15 against the Atlantic Sea Island Group’s plan.

“I like to keep an open mind about this sort of thing, but this [LNG] is one of those things where I think there are so many components that are more valid than others,” Scharfenberger said on March 1. “It would increase our dependence on foreign oil or foreign energy. That runs completely contrary to one of the big components of the Middletown Green Initiative.

“There’s a lot of endangered wildlife and a lot of marine life. There’s a lot of debate on [LNG] and there’s compelling arguments on both sides. I’m not so sure if that’s a deal breaker, but it will certainly increase dependence on foreign energy and increase it from countries that tend to be hostile to us. That’s probably my biggest reservation to the whole project.”

For more information about the Bayshore Regional Watershed Council, visit http://www.bayshorewatershed.org/bw/.