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Court Sides with Pipeline

Judges uphold all approvals and procedural problems for SRL pipeline.

April 30, 2021

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We were extremely disappointed to learn on April 29th that the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey denied our legal challenges to the Southern Reliability Link gas pipeline, and affirmed the decisions of the various government agencies that approved this destructive, unnecessary project.

This decision reinforces the message that the state of New Jersey has no genuine commitment to protecting the Pinelands National Reserve. 

Starting under Governor Christie, the Pinelands Commission has been severely weakened and been unwilling to defend the Pinelands against politically powerful developers.  Governor Murphy nominated qualified candidates to serve on the Pinelands Commission more than two years ago now.  Yet he hasn’t done what it takes to get his nominees confirmed by the State Senate, which has simply ignored them. These seats remain empty, and a number of sitting members show they have no interest in conservation. 

Now we cannot rely on the Pinelands Commission, the Governor, the Senate, the Department of Environmental Protection or even the courts to protect the Pinelands from demonstrably harmful and needless construction like this pipeline.

The pressure to develop the Pinelands will only grow in the coming years, and unless government leaders change their approach that pressure will take a terrible toll. We will not abandon the Pinelands National Reserve. 

Take action today.  Let Governor Murphy know that you are disappointed and hold the state of New Jersey responsible.  The fate of the Pinelands is in all of our hands.

To read the Court’s decisions, click on the links below.

Appeal of Pinelands Commission approval of SRL

Appeal of Pinelands Commission denial of hearings

Appeal of Pinelands Commission SRL procedure

Appeal of BPU approval of SRL

Appeal of BPU denial of safety docket participation

2 responses to “Court Sides with Pipeline”

  1. Peter D Luborsky says:

    Be the exception please — let the needs of the environment win!

  2. Temma Fishman says:

    The Pinelands is a rare, fragile environment that supports people and wildlife. It is already endangered from climate change and encroachment. Pipelines bring leaks, pollution and increasing climate disasters. We must stop fossil fuel infrastructure everywhere, particularly in precious environments such as the Pinelands.

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