Ocean City Councilman Bob Barr To Vote In Favor Of Pinelands Pipeline

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The Pinelands Commission will hold a final vote on the controversial South Jersey Gas Pipeline that will run through close to a section of the New Jersey Pinelands in Cherry Hill on Friday.

Ocean City Councilman Bob Barr, a member of the commission, has said he will be voting in favor of the pipeline, according to published reports.

He said he decided to vote in favor of the project after reading a 50-page report from Pinelands Commission Executive Director Nancy Wittenberg, as well as 6,000 pages of public comment on the issue, the Ocean City Gazette reports.

Barr told the newspaper he supports the pipeline because it will be built to include automatic and remotely controlled safety valves. It also runs underground and doesn’t cut through the forest.

The proposed new pipeline will run approximately 22 miles total underground, from just outside Millville in Maurice River Township, Cumberland County, through Estell Manor to Beesley’s Point in Upper Township, Cape May County, according to the company's website.

The pipeline will add a second transmission line which will reinforce the gas system and provide customers with more reliability. It will also repower the B.L. England plant to reinforce the available power supply and reduce air emissions, according to SNJ.

The B.L. England plant primarily serves electricity demand outside the Pinelands, where the great majority of the residences and businesses in the region are located.

Both the New Jersey Sierra Club and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance oppose the project, which they say would impact the Pinelands Forest Management Area area and would violate the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP).

But Barr, a member of the 15-person commission for two years, told ocnjdaily.com he doesn’t see any safety concerns, and said those who do “don’t understand the issues and needs of the region.” He said he expects the vote to pass, but knows there will be those who vote against the project.

The commission will meet in the grand ballroom in the Cherry Hill Crowne Plaza Hotel on Friday, Feb 24. The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m., and is expected to include the final vote.

Anyone who wishes to attend the meeting and needs transportation can register to ride the Bus For Progress.
The bus will make the following stops on Friday morning.

• 6 a.m. in Jackson (location to be announced).
• 6:30 a.m. in Toms River (location to be announced).
• 7 a.m. in Barnegat (location to be announced).

Organizers are asking for a $20 donation for the round trip travel. Bus Driver members get a 10% discount. Seats will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel is located on 2349 West Marlton Pike in Cherry Hill.

Image: New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Patch Editor Patricia Miller contributed to this report