PennEast files for NJ water permits as FERC deadline looms

Tom Johnson/NJ Spotlight

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Tom Johnson is the energy and environment reporter for NJ Spotlight. He is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in reporting and editing at New Jersey newspapers. A veteran reporter for The Newark Star-Ledger, Johnson worked in the Statehouse and in Newark covering energy, environmental and telecommunications issues. Before that he served as editor of the Ridgewood Newspapers and a reporter and editor at the Herald-News. A recipient of many state and national journalism honors, including recognition by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for coverage of the environment, he was a member of the Star-Ledger’s nationally award-winning business section. After leaving the Ledger in early 2009, he served as press secretary to the Daggett Campaign for Governor. He lives in Plainfield, N.J. tjohnson@njspotlight.com

April 6, 2017 | 4:10 PM

Kimberly Paynter / Newsworks

Construction on a pipeline path in Susquehanna County. The PennEast pipeline would run 118-miles from Northeast Pennsylvania to New Jersey. FERC is expected to release its final environmental impact statement on Friday.

This article comes from our partner NJ Spotlight.

The developer of the PennEast pipeline today filed for a critical water and freshwater wetlands permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for its project, perhaps one of the most troublesome regulatory reviews remaining for the planned pipeline.

In filing the application, PennEast Pipeline Co. is seeking approval for the same permit that ended up killing a controversial pipeline project in New York when it was denied. Environmentalists here are hoping to convince the Christie administration to do likewise, effectively blocking the 118-mile PennEast pipeline that would run from Luzerne County in Northeast Pennsylvania to Mercer County, NJ.

The permit review promises to be difficult given the route of the $2 billion project — crossing more than 200 waterways, including underneath the Delaware River.

New Jersey is one of only two states allowed to administer the federal 401 Water Quality Certificate program under the federal Clean Water Act. The state DEP oversees the latter with its own New Jersey freshwater wetlands permit program. Read more from NJ Spotlight.