Along with leading the charge on the new,
national "Keep It in the Ground" campaign urging the president to halt all new
federal fossil fuel leases of coal, oil, gas, oil shale and tar sands, we pushed
for protections for greater sage grouse across 11 western states by reining in
mining, oil, gas and road development.We built diverse public and political support for four proposed national monuments, which would add spectacular lands to our country's treasure trove of protected wild places: the proposed Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument in Arizona and Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains national monuments in California.
We spearheaded a campaign to keep the Gila River in New Mexico -- the last free-flowing river in the state -- from a destructive proposal to create dams and divert water; we continue to advocate for national forests, pushing back on inappropriate logging and post-fire logging in the Sierras and Pacific Northwest; and together with allies among the San Carlos Apache, we fought this year to protect sacred lands at Arizona's Oak Flat and overturn an infamous land giveaway to a multinational mining company that would destroy the place's natural and cultural value.
Learn about the proposed California national monuments and our other public lands work.
Update on South Jersey Natural Gas Project: SJ Gas Pipeline Receives Final BPU Approval
The Pinelands Commission has failed to take action to protect the
Pinelands National Reserve. Come to their regular monthly meeting this
Friday!
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Come and speak out against the South Jersey Gas Pipeline proposed for
construction through a portion of the Forest Management Area of the Pinelands
National Reserve. This 24-inch diameter, high pressure natural gas pipeline
would go through parts of Cumberland and Cape May Counties. Learn more about
this project on the website.
This project is NOT on the agenda for Friday's meeting but
you can speak about it during the General Public Comment portion of the agenda.
You can see the agenda on the Commission's website here.
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Background
In January 2014 the 15-member governing board of the Pinelands Commission
refused to waive Pinelands rules and denied the South Jersey Gas project. This
denial was based on the fact that the project was found to violate the Pinelands
Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) and could only proceed if the Commission
waived its rules - which it did not.
South Jersey Gas brought the project back this summer at which
point the executive director of the Commission stated she would not allow it to
go before the 15-member governing board and she would rule on it herself as a
"private" development project. Later she stated that no one at the
Pinelands Commission would rule on whether the project is permitted under the
Pinelands Protection Act and Comprehensive Management Plan - leaving any
decision on compliance with Pinelands rules up to the NJ Board of Public
Utilities (BPU).
BPU Issues Decision in
December
On December 16th the Board of Public Utilities approved a petition from
South Jersey Gas to waive all municipal land use ordinances and regulations in
relation to the construction of the pipeline. They didn't address the impacts
on the Pinelands as you can see in the concluding statement made by Board of
Public Utilities President, Richard
Mroz:
"I
do not find persuasive that the board must consider the specific impacts of just
areas within the Pinelands. While we are certainly mindful of the concerns of
citizens and organized groups advocating for the continued preservation of the
Pinelands I do not find persuasive for this application arguments that we must
consider only the specific impacts of the project in that area. Rather the law
is such that we, in our deliberations and considerations and actions here as
commissioners, must consider the broader impact to the public to determine if
this proposed infrastructure is both reasonably necessary for the service,
convenience and welfare of the public. Taking all of the issues which are in
the record of evidence that is before us I therefore find and conclude that
there is sufficient support in the record for this application and I vote in the
affirmative."
Read the Asbury Park
Press 12/26 editorial, Keep fighting the Pinelands pipeline scam
The executive director of the Pinelands Commission is helping South Jersey
Gas get past Pinelands rules and the Commissioners have not taken action to stop
this. The executive director doesn't have the
authority to state that this application conforms to the CMP. There has been no
public hearing, despite the fact that the Commission reversed its prior findings
without adequate explanation. Additionally, this project raises substantial
issues with respect to compliance with the CMP - not to mention that the
governing board of the Pinelands Commission already denied this project in 2014
because it violates the CMP!
Tell the Governor - Sign the Open Space Bill! |
The Assembly and the Senate passed the Open Space
Implementation bill. The Governor only has a few days left to sign this
bill.
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| Thanks to your calls and emails the open space implementation bill (A4197)
passed in the Assembly with strong bipartisan support! The bill is now on the
Governor's desk for his signature.
It is critical that the Governor signs this bill. Please contact
the Governor today and tell him that open space and preservation programs are
critical to New Jersey. Ask him to sign the bill today!
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Use
New Jersey Audubon Society's Take Action Tool
below!
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Tell Christie: Don't destroy Liberty State Park. Sign the petition to stop Governor Christie from
destroying Liberty State Park >>
Liberty State Park and its views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan are priceless – and today it can be enjoyed by everyone at no cost. All that would change if Governor Christie hands over the park to developers: there’d be less open space, more traffic, and fewer places for families to visit for free. Developers have been trying to commercialize Liberty State Park for 40 years, but they’ve been stopped every time because the majority of New Jerseyans don’t want to lose the open spaces at the Park. We can protect the Park again if enough of us speak up, but we need to get loud now before Christie’s plan gains traction. Tell Governor Christie not to lease New Jersey’s most iconic park to developers for a quick profit. The Christie administration is peddling the myth that Liberty State Park is underutilized, and that development is needed to help make the park attractive to millions more visitors. Has Governor Christie ever been there? Liberty State Park is jam-packed practically every weekend year round. Developing Liberty State Park is part of the Christie administration’s bigger plan to charge fees to access our natural and historical treasures to offset growing budget shortfalls.2 If we don’t stop this attack on Liberty State Park, we could see hotels, conference centers, and more traffic where our open spaces across the state used to be. There's a reason Liberty State Park is known as "The People's Park" - we’ve won these battles before, and we can win again. But only with your help. Sign the petition to Governor Christie and say: Don’t sell out Liberty State Park. Thanks for all that you do to protect our water, air, and open spaces. |
