Protesters To Resume Vigils At Roseland Compressor Station

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Roseland Against the Compressor Station (RACS) plans to hold one of their first public vigils in Essex County since the coronavirus pandemic began on Monday, Oct. 5.

According to a news release from the group, the vigil will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. outside the Williams/Transco compressor station on Eagle Rock Avenue in Roseland. Participants are being asked to social distance and wear face masks.

The group has been suspending its monthly protests due to the COVID-19 crisis, but things are getting ramped up again, according to RACS member Ted Glick.

“A major reason we’ve decided to start up our vigils again is because when Williams/Transco submitted their proposal for the second compressor in 2017, they said that it wouldn’t begin operating until the winter of 2020-2021, which will soon be here,” Glick wrote.

“We need to let them know that we are on the alert, we are watching, and we will continue to organize to shut down the whole compressor operation as we shift away from gas,” Glick added.

Oklahoma-based Williams began expansion at the station in 2016 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. The project has seen vocal opposition from community members, who allege that the facility is an environmental and safety hazard.

Williams/Transco 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.

• See related article: Democrats, GOP In Roseland Agree: 'No Compressor Expansion'
• See related article: Essex County Protesters To Gov. Murphy: Halt Compressor Expansion

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