Activists Demand Hearing On Essex County Pipeline Station

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — If you’re an Essex County resident who wants to learn more about the proposed expansion of a natural gas compressor station on Eagle Rock Avenue in Roseland, you’ll get a chance next month, local activists say.

A public hearing has been slated for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 7 at West Essex Regional High School, 65 W. Greenbrook Rd. in North Caldwell to discuss Williams' plan to ramp up horsepower at a compressor station in Roseland, which is located just a short walk from the Essex County Environmental Center.

The Williams Transco pipeline compressor station in Roseland has incited years of criticism and protest from activists, who allege that the energy giant is now trying to construct a new, 27,500 horsepower gas compressor facility at the site, doubling the station’s capacity… and “inherent dangers.”

Activists’ outcry for transparency has caused some local government bodies, such as the Roseland Borough Council and Livingston Town Council to call for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to hold a public hearing on the expansion before issuing the company a Freshwater Wetlands Permit for the project.

In May, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. – speaking in solidarity with several local environmental advocacy groups – released a letter that he wrote to the NJDEP, urging the agency to reject the Williams Transco permit application because of “great mistrust and fear in the community.”

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

However, Chris Stockton, a media relations spokesperson for Williams, told Patch that some of the claims about the Roseland expansion are "being twisted to make the impact seem greater," including the allegation that the company wants to build a second compressor station.

"In reality, the proposed project simply adds horsepower to the existing facility," Stockton said. “Increasing the horsepower does not create additional risk and does not decrease the effectiveness of the existing safety systems.”

"We currently operate five compressor facilities in New Jersey,” Stockton added. “We have been operating them safely without any serious incidents for decades."

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

According to Roseland Against the Compressor Station (RACS), the current compressor station is part of a pipeline that runs under several North Jersey 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 Williams Transco pipeline system connects the Northeastern markets with natural gas from the Marcellus Shale Formation.

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File Photo: Roseland Against Compressor Station