Area residents oppose pipeline because of pollution, noise, safety and quality of life concerns.
FRANKLIN TWP. -- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is holding a scoping session Thursday from 5-9 p.m. at the township's Community Center regarding Transco's newest pipeline proposal that includes a compressor station to be built in Trap Rock Quarry.
At the session, the public will be able to submit comments to two stenographers regarding their thoughts on the controversial project. Those comments will then be part of the evaluation process as FERC draft its initial environmental impact statement.
This is the fourth and final scoping session scheduled before Williams Company submits its application next year, said spokesman Chris Stockton. There was a similar hearing held last Wednesday in Old Bridge in which 17 people submitted comments, Stockton said.
A session is scheduled for Wednesday night in Quarryville, Pa. The other was held last week in Brooklyn, New York.
"The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be considered in the EIS to be prepared for the project," said FERC in a statement.
Williams Company is considering two sites in the township, one on a 40-acre tract off Route 27 near Promenade Boulevard and another 60-acre site just north of that location for its Greenfield Compressor Station, said Stockton. Both are owned by Trap Rock Industries.
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Stockton said the 60-acre tract is adjacent to a Superfund site. He said the facility itself will cover less than 10 acres and the rest of the property remain wooded.
During an Aug. 10 meeting, Franklin mayor Phil Kramer and the Township Council voted against the project but the final decision rests with the FERC.
"We're always very interested in the comment landowners and other interested parties submit to the Federal Regulatory Commission," said Stockton. "We understand that there are some concerns about the project."
There will be another round of scope sessions once FERC issues its draft environmental statement, said Stockton.
The Northeast Supply Enhancement Project would add 35 miles to the existing Transco pipeline system, including a 22-mile pipeline under the Raritan Bay from Old Bridge to Brooklyn, 3.5 miles of pipeline through Middlesex County and 10 miles of pipeline in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania.
The pipeline would attach to a new compressor station built in the Trap Rock Quarry.
Williams Company has said the pipeline is needed to meet the needs of some 1.8 million customers in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island.
"The purpose of this giant compressor station and pipeline is to take gas from the Transco Leidy Loop, which has already caused damage in Central Jersey, and ship the gas to Long Island," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "Transco gets the money, Long Island gets the gas and we get the pipe."
Kramer said pollution, noise, safety and quality of life are among residents' concerns.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.