Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pipeline Project topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Environmental commission agrees to sign letter opposing Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline
Summary
After extended public comment, Franklin Township's Environmental Commission voted unanimously to add its name to a letter to the governor opposing the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline and a proposed compressor station, citing local environmental and health concerns raised by a resident speaker.
The Franklin Township Environmental Commission voted May 18 to sign a draft letter to the governor opposing the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline and an accompanying compressor station following a public comment from local resident Linda Powell.
Powell told commissioners she has tracked the project for about 10 years and urged the commission to add its name to a broad coalition opposing the pipeline. She cited the proposed installation of a gas‑powered compressor station near Route 27 and said project documents indicate the operator plans a large seawater discharge treated with a chemical she identified from a material safety data sheet. "Williams Transcove plans to release 3,200,000 gallons of seawater treated with core treat 15316," Powell said, adding that the MSDS describes the product as "toxic to humans and other life forms" and "the product should not be allowed to enter drains, water courses, or the shore." Powell urged commissioners to sign the circulated letter and encourage residents to contact the governor.
The commission chair reported members had received a draft letter and asked for a motion to sign on. Commissioner (S7) moved that the Commission sign on as a signee; the chair put the question and the body approved the motion by voice vote. The motion record in the meeting did not name a formal mover and seconder in the transcript beyond the motion and the unanimous "Aye" vote recorded at the meeting.
Commission members asked procedural questions about consolidating signatures and distributing the letter; commissioners and Powell discussed emailing a single, consolidated letter and collecting organizational names. No council or regulatory body action on the issue was recorded at the meeting beyond the commission's decision to join the signatory list; Powell noted that Title V and other hearings in neighboring jurisdictions have already drawn sizable public opposition.
The commission's action is advisory: the next step is to finalize the commission's signature on the version of the letter Powell circulated and to send it to the governor's office as part of the larger campaign against the project.
