JERSEY CITY AND BEYOND — Spectra Energy, the Houston-based company that wants to build a natural gas pipeline through Bayonne, downtown Jersey City, and off the coast of Hoboken, is pushing back against opposition to the project.
The company is this week sending out a two-sided flier the states, among other things, “Spectra Energy Puts Safety First.”
The flier goes on to give the company’s spin on the pipeline project, which Spectra states on the flier “will create more than 5,000 regional jobs…including more than 2,300 in Jersey City alone.”
Elected officials, community groups, and other residents have expressed opposition to the pipeline during several hearings – partly due to safety reasons, and partly due to the fact that it would provide natural gas to customers in New York, not New Jersey.
Residents used the Sept. 10 natural gas explosion in San Bruno, Calif. – which killed eight people, injured dozens, and leveled an entire community – as an example of the dangers of having pipelines running through residential neighborhoods. On the Spectra’s new mailer, however, the company writes that the pipeline “will be made of thick, modern steel [and will be] monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure safety.”
Spectra’s 15.5-mile pipeline is currently planned to carry 800 million cubic feet of natural gas per day through Hudson County to New York City customers of Con Edison.
The company, which is obviously gearing up for a big public relations battle to win public support for the pipeline includes on the flier a toll-free number so interested residents can learn about “additional information and ways to support the project.”
Although Spectra recently changed the pipeline’s route, public opposition remains high. — E. Assata Wright
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