Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line, also known as Transco, has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the reissuance of permission to construct and operate the Northeast Supply Enhancement project, which would pump natural gas for about 23 miles through Central Jersey then under Raritan Bay to Long Island.
The story was reported in the online news outlet MyCentralJersey.com. Transco cited executive orders signed by President Donald J. Trump on his inauguration day as a go-ahead for its request.Â
In its May 29 petition to FERC, Transco maintains that Trump’s executive orders “make clear the NESE Project is more important than ever.”
Transco has asked FERC to reauthorize the project by Aug. 29 so the company can begin construction by the end of the year. The Oklahoma company said it has begun talks with officials in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania to obtain the permits
The $1 billion project would transport natural gas from Pennsylvania to the New York City area through an underground pipeline that cuts through Hunterdon, Somerset and Middlesex counties to Raritan Bay where a submerged pipeline will bring the gas to Long Island.Â
Included in the project is a 32,000-horsepower gas compressor near the Franklin and South Brunswick border.
FERC had approved the project in May 2019 under the condition that it would be finished by May 2021. FERC gave two extensions to the project to be completed by May 3, 2024.
Williams was forced to halt the project because New Jersey and New York environmental regulators rejected permits for the work. Williams told FERC that it was allowing a key construction application to expire, saying it would not seek an extension for it.
