LNG Port Moving Forward in Gibbstown, NJ
“DRBC have sided with polluters over the people of the Basin,” according to Sierra Club.
The Delaware River Basin Commission voted to approve a new dredging project at the Delaware River Partners (DRP) Gibbstown Logistics Center, a multi-use deep-water seaport and international logistics center currently under development.
What’s the deal with LNG?
LNG facilities are extremely dangerous to nearby communities, including risks from toxins that can leach into the ground from the underground tank.
Being that this new port is Mile 86.5 of the Delaware River in Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, these toxins can threaten the Delaware River (which provides drinking water for millions of people in Pennsylvania and New Jersey) and sensitive ecosystems like wetlands included the endangered Atlantic sturgeon and impact the local drinking water supply.
According to Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club,
“New Fortress will bring 3.5 million gallons of LNG a day to the port from truck or rail, this is equivalent to 2 billion gallons of natural gas. These numbers can be greatly expanded if New Fortress gets an export license. Transporting LNG by rail is not legal yet.”
Last week, the DRBC held a special public hearing on Delaware River Partners, LLC (NJ) Gibbstown Logistics Center Dock 2, D-2017-009-2. New Jersey Sierra Club, along with other environmental groups like Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Food & Water Watch, Environment New Jersey, Clean Water Action, and more spoke in opposition of the project, according to a press release.
There’s currently controversy as SEPTA is planning to build a Natural Gas power plant in Nicetown section of Philadelphia.