Compressor Gas Station Meeting Wednesday Night

South Brunswick, NJ - The battle against a proposed natural gas compressor station on the South Brunswick-Franklin border continues. And Franklin residents are now saying they don't want the station near their homes, either.

Williams, the company that seeks to build the compressor station, is scheduled to present their plan to the Franklin Township Council Wednesday night. The special meeting will be held Wednesday, August 10 at 7 p.m. at the Franklin Township Municipal Building at 475 DeMott Lane in Somerset. Anyone is welcome to attend, ask questions and give their thoughts.

As Patch has previously reported, Oklahoma-based The Williams Companies is looking to construct a 32,000-horsepower station to help carry natural gas fracked from the Marcellus shale along the Transco pipeline. The Transco pipeline runs through the heart of Central Jersey and carries natural gas from the Midwest into New York City. The company is currently deciding between two locations for the station: Site A) The intersection of Promenade Blvd and Rt. 27, only 400 feet from Princeton Walk, or Site B) farther north in Franklin Township, off Rt. 518. Both locations are zoned for industrial use, owned by Trap Rock Quarry and in Franklin Township, although the Rt. 27 site is much closer to South Brunswick. A spokesman for Williams has already admitted the site closer to South Brunswick is more favorable, as the Rt. 518 location sits near a Superfund site.

"The other site is farther from residents, but it would require more inspections and has more environmental concerns," he said. "The Rt. 27 site has less unknowns and less risk."

Some of residents' top concerns about the compressor station are:

Noise: The sound of a compressor station has been compared to four diesel locomotive engines running 24/7, one Princeton Walk homeowner told Patch. A spokesman for the company denies that, telling Patch that noise from the compressor station would be 55 decibels, "no louder than a refrigerator." However, blowdowns, or a release of pressure from the pipeline, have to be done several times a year and are often much louder, he admits. Read Patch's previous interview with Williams here.

Environmental damage: Residents say it will add significant greenhouse and carbon emissions, as well as possible soil and water contamination, said Shubhendu Singh, a Franklin resident and president of the Princeton Highlands' homeowners association. The Princeton Highlands' homeowners association has formed a citizens' group to fight Williams, and counts South Brunswick residents as its members.

Safety: Explosions along natural gas pipelines do happen, and are sometimes fatal. Could blasting from Trap Rock Quarry rupture the gas line or damage the compressor station?, asked South Brunswick Councilwoman Jo Hochman, who happens to live in Princeton Walk. Williams said it is studying whether the proximity to Trap Rock Quarry would pose a danger, but a spokesman also pointed out that "the existing Transco pipeline has operated in the area for decades without incident."