Roseland Activists Want Answers About Pipeline Compressor Station

Roseland, NJ - An Essex County environmental justice group is daring energy giant Williams/Transco to respond to an inquiry letter about its controversial compressor station in Roseland.

But the energy company has three words that may upset activists’ hopes of a reply: “We did respond.”

The challenge was issued by Roseland Against the Compressor Station (RACS), a grassroots organization formed in 2013 to fight the expansion of the natural gas compressor station located on Eagle Rock Avenue, a short distance from the Essex County Environmental Center.

According to the RACS, the compressor station is part of Williams/Transco’s Northeast Supply Link Expansion project, which runs under several Essex County towns including Roseland, 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.”

THE ISSUES

The RACS sent Williams/Transco a letter on Feb. 14, asking the company to respond to the following alleged issues:

• “A refusal by Williams to answer the question of how many additional hours Compressor 303 will run compared to how much it has done so up to the present”
• “A refusal by Williams to report how many times toxic gas has been deliberately released since 303 went into operation in late 2013, and how many times it is estimated to do so after the horsepower is increased”
• “A refusal by Williams to provide basic information about the schedule for approval, construction and finishing of the horsepower increase”
• “A refusal by Williams to address the potential increased risks - pipe or compressor rupture, uncontrolled release of flammable and toxic gas, explosion, fire, etc. - from an increase in the speed and horsepower”

WILL TRANSCO RESPOND?

A Williams/Transco spokesman told Patch that the company has already provided a response to the RACS’ questions… as part of its formal application process to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

“The agency was fully satisfied with our responses and we believe the issues raised were adequately addressed,” spokesman Christopher Stockton said. “We are committed to the safe operation of this facility, just as we are the other compressor facilities we operate in New Jersey and across the country.”

“The Transco pipeline delivers about half of the natural gas consumed in New Jersey, and facilities like this are important to ensure that gas is reliably and safely delivered to consumers,” Stockton added. “The station is equipped with federally-required and industry-recognized safety features such as pressure relief valves, emergency shutdown systems, and gas detection devices. It is also monitored 24/7 by our operations control center.”

FERC officials approved the Northeast Supply Link Expansion in 2013 without requesting additional environmental or safety studies.

However, that same year, school officials in Roseland ordered the evacuation of a local elementary school after gas odors prompted fears of a possible leak at the compressor station.

Other local governments that have expressed opposition to the pipeline include Nutley, Bloomfield and the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Sign up for Patch NJ email newsletters here.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo via Roseland Against the Compressor Station, Facebook