The lawsuit is challenging decisions by the Board of Public Utilities and the Pinelands Commission
The New Jersey Sierra Club is suing two state agencies over their decisions to approve New Jersey Natural Gas' Southern Reliability Link, a 30-mile, 30-inch pipeline that would run through three counties.
In January, the Board of Public Utilities approved its construction and last month, voted to allow NJNG to bypass local zoning rules and land use approvals.
The Sierra Club is also challenging a letter the executive director of the Pinelands Commission sent to the BPU declaring that the project would comply with the comprehensive management plan, a move the group says circumvented a public-hearing process and vote from the Pinelands Commission.
"This decision has allowed the BPU to remove local jurisdiction, reducing transparency and public involvement even more," Tittel said. "By making that determination, (Nancy) Wittenberg allowed the Pinelands Commission to hide behind having a final say and let the BPU rubberstamp this damaging pipeline."
Pipeline protesters decry Pinelands intrusion
The pipeline would begin at a recently approved compressor station in Chesterfield and continue through North Hanover, Upper Freehold, Plumsted and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst before connecting to the utility's system in Manchester.
"This pipeline will cause irreparable harm to the largest open space on the northeast seaboard, threaten our drinking water supply and harm communities along the proposed route," Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel said. "NJNG says this pipeline is for reliability when in reality, they are asking the ratepayers to pay for a pipeline that will only be used to further development along the coast and will cause environmental destruction along the way."
A citizens' group People Over Pipelines also plans to join the lawsuit.
"It is our hope that this lawsuit ... will put the industry in its proper place," said Walter Helfrecht, who is part of the group. "We hope it will also put the regulatory agencies on notice that their charters are first and foremost supposed to be for the people and not for-profit exploitation at great cost to the general health and welfare of the people and the environment through which the proposed infrastructure would pass."
Spokesmen for both agencies said they do not comment on pending litigation.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.