Former Appointee Recalls Gas Pipeline Proposal Experience

COURT HOUSE – The Pinelands Preservation Alliance (PPA) in a Feb. 16 release distributed its annual “State of the Pinelands” report which evaluates how specific actions of government agencies over the past year have either helped or harmed the Pinelands.
Those agencies and officials include the governor, Pinelands Commission, state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Legislature and local governments. The stated aim of the report is to hold officials and agencies accountable for their actions.
Construction of high-pressure natural gas pipelines through protected areas in the Pinelands was one of the major threats identified by the alliance in the report. Two proposals from two different companies, New Jersey Natural Gas and South Jersey Gas, are poised to undo more than 35 years of Pinelands protection if approved, it stated.
The Herald asked Robert Jackson, a Court House resident, to comment on his experiences on the Pinelands Commission regarding the pipeline proposal by South Jersey Gas through the Pinelands which the report addressed.
Jackson is a former West Cape May mayor having served from 2001-2005. He was a commissioner on the 15-member Pinelands Commission from 2008-2014 appointed by former Gov. Jon Corzine.
His appointment was not renewed by Gov. Chris Christie because, as it has been reported and as Jackson stated, “I voted against the Pinelands pipeline proposal put forward from South Jersey Gas despite the political pressures which appeared, and I want to emphasize, appeared to be coming from the governor, South Jersey Gas and BPU (Board of Public Utilities).”
Jackson said from day one he was amazed at how complex and convoluted many of the issues facing the Pinelands Commission were, especially the pipeline proposal and as a result “It’s difficult to get people interested.”
Further, “There seems to be some amount of quid pro quo according to confidential documents I was briefly allowed to see regarding how the pipeline proposal was handled,” explained Jackson.
“I also don’t believe the ‘redundancy’ argument from South Jersey Gas since we can get electricity from anywhere and if they raised the plant high enough so that it wouldn’t be affected by bad storms that would ensure gas supply. I do think it’s odd that the BPU, per press reports going back several years, approved a rate increase requested by the company that was six months before the commission ever took a first vote on its pipeline proposal.
“Seems to me that the BPU was ensuring that the gas company’s investment would be a success and have the ratepayers pay for it. I am a long-time resident of the county and always have strived to do what’s right for all New Jersey, I told it like I saw it and knew it and feel proud I showed integrity throughout,” Jackson said.             
Report: ‘Worst Year’
 “This is one of the worst years that we have experienced in terms of setbacks to Pinelands protections,” stated Richard Bizub, director for Water Programs, per the release. “In the nine years we have been issuing this report there has always been some good to balance out the bad. Whether it was the denial of a large inappropriate development project, promising appointments to the Pinelands Commission, or the creation of a plan to better protect Barnegat Bay, there have always been some promising advances to better protect the natural resources of the Pinelands. This year we were hard pressed to find the silver lining,” Bizub continued.
The release stated “This is a critical moment for the future of New Jersey’s Pinelands. This report shows that it is getting harder to keep inappropriate development out of areas that were set aside for protection by the Pinelands Plan over 35 years ago. When the state repeatedly waives or ignores Pinelands rules “just this one time,” it sacrifices the very foundation on which protection of the Pinelands is based.
“New Jersey’s residents can’t afford to be silent – the only way the Pinelands will survive is if citizens pressure our state government relentlessly to protect it,” stated Becky Free, director of membership and communications.
Pinelands Commission
The New Jersey Pinelands Commission is an independent state agency whose mission is to “preserve, protect, and enhance the natural and cultural resources of the Pinelands National Reserve, and to encourage compatible economic and other human activities consistent with that purpose.”
Pipeline Project
From South Jersey Gas’ website, the utility plans to invest approximately $90 million to construct a 24-inch gas transmission pipeline which will also provide system reliability and reinforcement enhancements for customers served in Atlantic and Cape May counties.
The pipeline will not operate above 437 pounds of pressure.
The pipeline will run approximately 22 miles and pass through Maurice River Township, Estell Manor, and Upper Township.
Approximately 20 miles of the pipeline are within existing cleared public right-of-way.
Approximately two miles are across private property within Atlantic City Electric’s existing power line corridor.
Project Status
Board of Public Utilities Dec. 16, 2015 approved, 3-0, the project to proceed without the need for oversight from municipal zoning boards.
Pinelands Commission Executive Director Nancy Wittenberg, as of Aug. 15, 2015, announced that the proposal for a pipeline could go forward without a vote because it had met the standards of the Comprehensive Management Plan.
As reported here Feb. 3, Sierra Club and Environment New Jersey combined forces as plaintiffs Jan. 28 in a legal complaint filed against the Pinelands Commission and the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) in state Superior Court Appellate Division Jan. 26.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.