NOMBR: Not On My Bike Route!

5 November 2014


This is bad, folks.

There's a proposed natural gas line in the works, and the route it takes is plumb spang in the middle of Hunterdon Hill Slug territory.  If built, the pipeline would not follow a single established pipeline, electricity line, or road right-of-way.  Instead, it would cross through private property, preserved farmland, preserved open space, and protected streams.  It would cross over several drinking water supplies.  The PennEast pipeline is a pipe dream conjured up by those who would profit from the modern-day gold rush that is fracking.

Here's a screen grab from Penn East's interactive map.

That double green line is the path it takes from its southern terminus (in the middle of Mercer Meadows, a county park) towards Sergeantsville.  Click on the image or go to the link for a closer look.  That's our turf, Slugs.  It crosses Alexauken Creek.  Twice.  Alexauken Creek is a Category 1 stream; that means the water is clean and the land around it is protected to keep it that way.



Further north, the pipeline would be just off of Route 519.  That's the road we take to Bloomsbury, to Clinton, back to Stockton.  It's all rollers and farms and woods and wide open views.



The pipeline would cross the Delaware River slightly north of  Riegelsville. The path it would take would slice up the prettiest part of the riverside route north of Frenchtown.  This is the road that has a cliff on one side and the river on the other.  This is Plain Jim's favorite stretch of road.

Are you angry yet?  You should be, because we don't need this pipeline.  There is no credible demand for more natural gas in Mercer County. Municipalities and residents up and down the planned 100-mile route are opposed to the pipeline.

You've all probably seen the term "NIMBY," for Not In My Back Yard.  It's a pejorative hurled at people who oppose projects that will affect them directly.  Sometimes, though, being a NIMBY is called for.  The PennEast pipeline would be 100 miles long.  That's a lot of NIMBYs.

We can add to that number by being NOMBRs:  Not On My Bike Route.

Earlier this fall, the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club prepared an action alert.  You can send a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in just a few clicks, no strings attached.

For those of you who enjoy Facebook, click on over to Stop the PennEast Pipeline for more information. (Facebook being what it is, I take no responsibility for content therein.)

The plan is still in its earliest stages.  As more information comes in, there will be more opportunity to raise hell.  Stay tuned.