Court Date Looms For 2 Arrested At Essex County Pipeline Protest

ROSELAND, NJ — If convicted, a pair of environmentalists arrested while protesting at a controversial Essex County gas pipeline in May could face up to three months in jail. But despite the legal risk, they’re not backing down now, they reported Wednesday.

Next week, Ted Glick and Karlos Edmonds will appear for a trial in Roseland municipal court after being arrested during a May 22 protest at the Williams/Transco natural gas compressor station on Eagle Rock Avenue.

Five other people were also at the demonstration. Acting peacefully, the environmentalists linked arms and temporarily blocked construction equipment from moving onto the site.

Local community members and multiple elected officials have decried Williams/Transco’s expansion of its Roseland compressor station, accusing the facility of being a ticking environmental time bomb. The energy giant has disputed their allegations, claiming that the expansion is safe and is needed to help provide New Jersey with more than half of its natural gas.

A spokesperson for Williams/Transco previously told Patch that work at the Roseland station will continue despite the protest.

• See related article: Activists vs. Pipeline: 2 Arrests At Essex County Protest

Glick, coordinator of Roseland Against the Compressor Station and president of 350NJ, said that he and Edmonds, a member of Extinction Rebellion, were arrested after having a “back and forth” with Roseland police.

“We held banners saying, ‘Roseland Not Gasland,’ and ‘Governor Murphy, No New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure,’” Glick wrote in an email Wednesday. “After a back and forth with the local police, being told we were under arrest and being pushed out of the construction area, Karlos and I were arrested and charged with ‘Failure to Obey Order of a Police Officer.’”

If convicted, the pair could be imprisoned for up to three months, fined $2,000 and/or sentenced to 90 days of community service, Glick stated.

• See also: Fundraiser For 36 Jewish Activists Arrested Protesting ICE In Elizabeth
• See also: 4 Arrested Essex County Clergy Still Defending Immigrant Families

“Karlos and I pleaded not guilty at our arraignment,” Glick wrote. “We believe what we did was a necessary and right thing to do because of the failure of the federal government and state government to reject this unneeded, dangerous, destructive project. They did this despite all of the many reasons our coalition of opposition provided to do so and the efforts of hundreds of people using all of the legal avenues.”

A rally is planned for 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10 at Roseland Municipal Court, 19 Harrison Avenue (learn more about this event). Hopefully, a strong turnout will show the judge presiding over the case that “many people support this righteous cause,” Glick said.

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ACTIVISTS VS. PIPELINE

Williams/Transco has been trying to beef up its current compressor station in Roseland for years as part of its Gateway Expansion Project, a larger effort to revamp the Transco interstate natural gas pipeline and provide additional service to New Jersey and New York.

According to Williams/Transco:

"Natural gas is a critical component of the mix of energy sources necessary to meet the region's growing energy needs, creating affordability for utility customers and ensuring reliability while renewables scale. This federally approved project is designed to have virtually zero impact on surrounding neighbors and the environment, with almost all of the work taking place within our existing fence line. Since the station horsepower upgrades feature electric-driven compressors, its operation will not significantly impact noise or air quality. The comprehensive environmental assessment conducted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission positively reflects our efforts to design this project in an environmentally responsible manner, ultimately concluding that the project's construction and operation would not significantly affect the environment."

• See related article: Pipeline Company Says No Plans For 2nd Compressor In Essex County

However, the compressor station expansion has seen staunch opposition from local residents, activists and political leaders, who have alleged there are numerous safety and environmental risks posed by the facility.

• See related article: Proposed Pipeline Station Blasted By Essex County Official

Activists have called on Governor Phil Murphy to stop construction at the Roseland station while the project is under legal appeal, and to declare an emergency moratorium on all 12 fossil fuel expansion projects currently proposed or moving forward in New Jersey.

After making its way through years of red tape and permit applications, Williams/Transco finally has the necessary approvals from federal and state authorities to move forward in Roseland, a company spokesperson told Patch in March.

Activists aren't giving up their fight against the expansion, however, and have filed appeals to halt the project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection.

• See related article: Controversial Essex County Pipeline Station Gets Key Permits
• See related article: Essex County Activists Not Giving Up Fight Against Pipeline Company

According to grassroots advocacy group Roseland Against the Compressor Station, the Roseland facility is part of a pipeline that runs under several Essex County towns including West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Little Falls, Clifton, Bloomfield, Nutley, Belleville, North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, East Rutherford, Carlstadt, Ridgefield and North Bergen, as well as the campus of Montclair State University.

The pipeline system connects the Northeastern markets with natural gas from the Marcellus Shale Formation, some of which is extracted using the controversial process known as "fracking."

Activists' outcries for transparency have caused some local governments, such as the Roseland Borough Council and Livingston Town Council to call for DEP hearings on the station's expansion. Other local government entities that have expressed concern about the expansion include Nutley, Bloomfield and the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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