NJ Board of Public Utilities amends prior orders on South Jersey Gas proposed pipeline

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities decided this week to amend its previous pipeline safety and municipal land use orders authorizing South Jersey Gas Co. (SJG) to build a proposed natural gas pipeline, basing a condition of its approval on the New Jersey Pinelands Commission’s final decision on the project.

SJG’s proposed 21.6-mile natural gas transmission pipeline is intended to serve the B.L. England power plant at Beesley’s Point in Upper Township and is seen increasing service reliability for  more than 142,000 residents and businesses in Atlantic and Cape May counties.

The board’s latest action was the fifth in a series of issues concerning the proposed pipeline.  The board entered the orders in response to the Appellate Division’s Nov. 7 decision regarding appeals of the board’s orders.

The approval of the pipeline and its construction is now based upon the New Jersey Pinelands Commission’s final decision that the pipeline is consistent with the minimum standards of the Comprehensive Management Plan.

“The decisions reaffirm the assessment conducted by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities regarding the proposed pipeline, and refer the final decision regarding the compliance of this proposal with the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan to the Pinelands Commission,” Jeff DuBois, president of South Jersey Gas, had said after the November decision.

“Although the court’s ruling identified a procedural exception to the approvals received that will require further regulatory actions, it is important to note that they cited no exceptions to the merits of or need for the pipeline,” he previously said.

Due to environmental concerns, SJG identified six alternate routes for the pipeline. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection concluded that the chosen route has the least environmental impact of any route.