Final NESE License Approved
NJ’s public interest betrayed for dirty fossil fuels - sold out for $14,084 per year!
Despite public opposition from environmental advocates and residents statewide, the Tidelands Resource Council, upon recommendation of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, has approved the tidelands utility license for the Williams/Transco Northeast Supply Enhancement Project. Williams/Transco will pay $14,084 per year for this license, risking NJ’s public health and a multi-billion dollar natural asset. The TRC voted to have the license be re-evaluated in 7 years to assess the fee and status of the project.
43 individuals testified against this pipeline, representing thousands of public interest groups – including environmental groups, medical professionals, elected officials, college and high school students, attorneys, concerned residents across the state, and more.
Only 2 people, one from the NJ Business and Industry Association and one from Chemistry Council of NJ, spoke in favor of the project.
Thanks to everyone who has spoken out against NESE, including today’s attendees and the 117 who submitted public comments to COA.
Clean Ocean Action's Statement: "The Tidelands Resource Council’s decision to grant NESE’s utility license is devastating and deeply disappointing, especially in light of the facts. The TRC voted in favor of corporate interest over public interest. The immense damage the pipeline will cause NJ’s marine ecosystem and public health is not in the public interest. Now, with little hope, we call on Governor Sherrill to do the right thing for NJ, defy President Trump, and overturn this ruling.”
- Cindy Zipf, Executive Director
To read more, click here to view COA's Press Release
While this is not the result we fought for, we can stand tall. We stood up for a healthy future and always will!
Stay engaged for next steps as we continue to stand up for NJ against this harmful project.
Our Bay and Ocean Need You: Speak out against the NESE Pipeline!
The environment and public health were sacrificed by NY Governor Hochul and former NJ Governor Murphy with their approval of nearly all major permits for a massive, dirty new fossil fuel project and pipeline that will rip through communities, shorelines, the Raritan Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean.
There is one last permit William/Transco’s Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) requires. Now, it’s up to NJ Governor Sherrill and the Tidelands Resource Council…will they give away NJ’s underwater land for a NY energy project?
Help say “NO” to NESE on May 6th! Learn more and take action now!
Clean Ocean Action is continuing to fight NESE, which is an unnecessary, dirty, and environmentally destructive project designed to bring fracked natural gas from Pennsylvania to New York. To do so, Williams and their subsidiary Transco have sought permits to build both a massive new compressor station in Franklin Township, NJ, and a 23.4-mile offshore pipeline through Raritan Bay and into the Atlantic Ocean (Click here for our NESE factsheet for more information).
Over 93,000 square feet of the NESE pipeline and associated infrastructure will be built in the Raritan Bay and Cheesequake Creek Tributary tidelands.
The tidelands are areas in NJ that are covered and/or inundated by water at high tide. These are state-owned areas near waterways that currently or historically received significant amounts of water. Tidelands are important habitats for a variety of marine creatures, fishing and clamming grounds, and recreational areas.
Transco must obtain a utility license from New Jersey’s Tidelands Resource Council (TRC) to build NESE. The Tidelands Resource Council focuses on protecting our resources and water quality within the tidelands. The council will determine whether issuing the utility license for NESE is in the public’s interest, whether the State may have future use for such lands, and what fee will be assessed.
It is important to note that “the State of New Jersey is under no obligation to issue a Tidelands license. Licenses are not valid until delivered and may be revoked by the state at any time.”
Tidelands Materials:
Tidelands Council Action Alert
Tidelands and NESE Factsheet
Tidelands and NESE Talking Points
NESE will be on the agenda at the next TRC meeting on April 1st at 10am. This is a virtual meeting that you can join by phone or Microsoft Teams Link.
Microsoft Teams Link Here
or
Join on Telephone
Phone Number: 1-856-338-7074
Conference ID: 101 663 45#
How Can YOU Help STOP NESE?
Take these steps NOW:
Attend the TRC meeting on May 6, 2026, at 10 AM and prepare to give public comment. To prepare your brief comments, use our talking points and factsheet.
Contact Governor Sherrill here or at 609-292-6000 to urge her deny the Tidelands Utility License to Transco for NESE.
We will continue to monitor and update as soon as information becomes available. If you have any questions, contact Madison Wurst, Ocean Policy Advocate, at advocate@cleanoceanaction.org or call (732) 872-0111.
Over 100 Rally on the Bayshore to Draw a Line in the Sand to Stop Fossil Fuel Pipeline that will Pollute Land, Sea, and Air!!!
On Tuesday September 9th, over 100 people including environmental organizations, friends, and elected officials from both parties united at the Bayshore Waterfront Park to rally against a massive methane gas project and to call on Governor Murphy to stop the project, affirming his legacy as a climate change leader. Williams Transco’s proposed natural gas pipeline, the Northeast Supply Enhancement project, simply referred to as the NESE project, would lock in fossil fuel use for up to 50 years, and for generations contaminate land, sea, and air by polluting communities and ecosystems.
This amazing event kicked off with live music from Indus (Bob and Joy Gamache) and the Solidarity Singers. Their passionate and lively NESE-focused songs got everyone excited and ready to rally against this project. At this time, we had educational resources and action items including the ability to write comments and sign petitions at tables for all to learn and show their opposition to the Governor and DEP.
At the rally, COA Executive director, Cindy Zipf led the charge in welcoming the inspiring roster of leaders speaking at the event. These speakers highlighted a variety of issues including climate change, the impacts on the bay and the ocean, environmental justice, and air quality. As a final action rallygoers marched down to the water to draw a line in the sand to tell Governor Murphy NOT IN NJ.
This event was bipartisan and unifying, sending a message that New Jerseyans do not want to sacrifice our health and environmental resources for a dirty fossil fuel pipeline!!
Couldn’t attend? Here’s how you can continue to help:
Submit Comments: Go to https://dep.nj.gov/nese/ and tell the NJDEP to deny this unnecessary and environmentally destructive project once and for all. Due September 25th, 2025.
Join the Movement Against the NESE Project: Your future is at stake!
Visit CleanOceanAction.org ~ Email: MWurst@cleanoceanaction.org ~ Call 732-872-0111
Read about the rally here:
https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/09/zombie-pipeline-raises-environmental-fears/
https://enviropolitics.com/zombie-as-pipeline-raises-environmental-fear-in-new-jersey/
Say NO NESE – Stay Strong Governor Murphy!
Join us for a rally at Bayshore Waterfront Park on September 9th at 4:00!
The zombie project is back… Williams/Transco has reapplied for both federal and state permits for their harmful and unnecessary fossil fuel project.
The Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE) is an unnecessary, dirty, and environmentally destructive project designed to bring fracked natural gas from Pennsylvania to New York City. To do so, Williams and their subsidiary Transco have sought permits to build both a massive new compressor station in Franklin Township, and a 23.4 mile offshore pipeline through the Raritan Bay. This is the 5TH time they are trying to get these permits. Governor Murphy said no before, and we MUST urge him to deny the NESE project again.
The NESE Project will:
- Stir-up over 1 MILLION tons of toxin-laden muck, including PCBs, dioxins, lead, methyl-mercury, petrochemicals, and arsenic, polluting the bay and ocean.
- Pump over 690,000 gallons of polluting, chemically-infused drilling fluids into the bay and ocean.
- The massive fossil fuel powered compressor station will emit tons of harmful air pollutants.
- Harass over 10,000 marine mammals!
On May 29, 2025, Transco filed a petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) seeking reissuance of its certificate of public convenience and necessity, as amended, authorizing Transco to construct and operate as previously approved. In this petition Transco sites President Trump’s executive order released on January 20, 2025, declaring a national “energy emergency” as justification for restarting the NESE project.
In addition to this FERC petition, on May 30, 2025, Transco re-filed its permit applications in both New Jersey and New York to begin construction of the project by the end of 2025. Transco states “the Project scope has not changed and, thus, the 2025 Permit Applications are essentially identical to the applications reviewed by the Department in 2020.”
Transco has re-filed for these permits despite all previous permits being denied. Initial permit applications were filed on July 26, 2017. Subsequent applications were submitted on June 20, 2018, June 12, 2019, October 28, 2019, and January 21, 2020. All these permit applications were denied by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for reasons including the environmental harm of a project of this scope.
This project is not needed, according to Synapse Economic Energy Report and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. There is also strong bipartisan opposition in both New York and New Jersey as it will cause irreparable damage to our natural resources and increase reliance on fossil fuels for decades to come.
How YOU can Help!!
1. Attend our rally/press conference on September 9th from 4:00-6:00pm at Bayshore Waterfront Park (719 Port Monmouth Rd, Port Monmouth, NJ 07758) (Rain location nearby)
For more information contact MWurst@cleanoceanaction.org
2. Say NO to NESE. Pass our resolution of opposition in your town to show your opposition to NESE and pressure Governor Murphy and the NJDEP to reject it.
3. Submit Comments: Go to www.nj.gov/dep/nese and tell the NJDEP to deny this unnecessary and environmentally destructive project once and for all. Public hearing on September 10th, 2025. Public comments due September 25th, 2025.
4. Help! Join the Movement Against the NESE Project: Your future is at stake!
Visit CleanOceanAction.org ~ Email: MWurst@cleanoceanaction.org ~ Call 732-872-0111
Click here for more information on the NESE Bayshore Rally
Click here for more information on the NESE pipeline
Click here for COA’s public comments to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Read Below for A History of the NESE Project and COA's Past Actions
Victory! Fossil Fuel Project Defeated... For Now!
Environmental orgs celebrate the end of the Northeast Supply Enhancement "NESE" methane gas project
On Monday, May 6, 2024, Clean Ocean Action celebrated the defeat of the Northeast Supply Enhancement (“NESE”) methane gas project with environmental advocates and community organizations at a press conference in Keyport, NJ.
At long last, this un-NESE-sary, dirty fossil fuel project finally gave up the ghost and gasped its last gassy breath. Together, we celebrate the many organizations and individuals that worked so hard over many years to stop NESE. COA came to this project in 2019 to represent the marine environment and are thrilled and proud that the voices of Monmouth County, 100% of Bayshore municipalities, groups and communities acted quickly in unified opposition. This opposition greatly contributed to the efforts to oppose this massive fossil fuel project. The staff of COA are honored to have coordinated with such an effective coalition of groups.
The NESE project included piping fracked gas from Pennsylvania into New Jersey, construction of a massive compressor station, and 23.4 miles of new pipeline in Raritan Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Today, there is one less fossil fuel facility impacting the land, sea, and air!
Read the Press Release here with statements from groups celebrating the victory.
“NESE” IS BACK…a 6th TIME! Help Stop it AGAIN!
Company Seeks Time to Build Dirty Gas Project in NJ & NY
Williams Transco seeks a 2-year permit extension to build the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE), a massive methane gas compressor station and 23.4-mile methane gas pipeline. COA led the NJ campaign along the shore in 2018-2022, which resulted in denials in New Jersey and New York. This fossil fuel project threatens land and sea – NY & NJ communities, Raritan Bay, Lower New York Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean from Sayreville, NJ, to Rockaway, NY.
NESE already received a 2-year extension from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which expired in early May 2023, and is now seeking more time. Comments on this new extension request are due by 5pm Eastern Time on May 19, 2023.
Click here for the official notice.
Tell FERC to deny the extension by following these steps to provide comments:
Click “eFile” link under “Quick Links” at http://www.ferc.gov
Login or Create an Account
After verifying your account, go to “Edit Registration” on the left side toolbar to complete all necessary information to continue to next steps.
When complete, select “eFiling” on the left side toolbar.
Click “Supplemental Information/Request in middle column of choices
In Filing Type, click “gas” in left column of choices under “How is your filing to be directed?”
Click “Next.”
In “Select docket,” type: CP17-101-005 in the search bar next to “Enter Docket Number”
Click Search
In the right column of the table, click the “+” sign to add Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co” to selected dockets
Click “Next.”
Select your comments file to upload, enter a description, and follow prompts to submit comments.
*Note: For this specific process, you will need to write your comments in a separate file. PDF and Word Documents are two examples of acceptable file formats.
SIGN THE PETITION!
FERC GRANTS DIRTY METHANE GAS PROJECT 2-YEAR EXTENTION
BREAKING!!!
FERC GRANTS DIRTY METHANE GAS PROJECT 2-YEAR EXTENSION
Williams Transco’s Un-‘NESE’-sary Project Can Return to Threaten Land and Sea
On May 20, 2021, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted Williams Transco a permit, giving the company another two years to build a massive methane gas compressor station and 23.4-mile methane gas pipeline called the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE) through New Jersey communities, Raritan Bay, Lower New York Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean from Sayreville, New Jersey to Rockaway, New York. The project has been denied permits from both New York and New Jersey multiple times.
Citizens and advocacy groups rallied once again this past spring to stop FERC from granting the company the extension by working to generate comments to FERC and tweets to FERC Commissioner Rich Glick opposing the extension of time citing the lack of need, environmental and community impacts, and the fact that both states, many New Jersey municipalities and thousands of citizens oppose the project.
FERC Commissioner Rich Glick tweeted, “Today’s #Transco Order does not change the state of play. If NY&NJ do not change their minds & grant the project section 401 water quality certificates, @FERC cannot permit the enhancement project to proceed.”
“Shame on FERC! This is double-speak! NY and NJ already repeatedly said ‘NO,’ and rather than deferring to these states’ previous decisions and deny Williams Transco their pathetic request for an extension, FERC is again dumping the NESE project onto the backs of state and local leaders who have repeatedly denied permit after permit for years. This will cause fear and worry for millions of people in the region and cost taxpayer dollars,” said Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action. “Should Williams ignore the will of the people and apply again, we are ready to rally-up for the fight.”
Read FERC's Extension Request to Williams Transco
Read Clean Ocean Action’s Comments Objecting Transco Request for Extension
Read Group Press Release Opposing FERC Extension Request
