Resistance mounts against Pipeline
“A company that is planning on building an oil pipeline through towns in Union County is raising concern because they have indicated to property owners they will use eminent domain, if needed, to acquire land.
Pilgrim Pipeline is seeking to build a 178-mile underground pipeline, located predominantly in existing right-of-way areas that will carry crude oil from Albany, NY, to Linden. At issue is the fact this pipeline is expected to be routed to Linden through municipalities such as Cranford, Clark, Roselle, Linden, Westfield, Scotch Plains, New Providence and Berkeley Heights.
However, Pilgrim continues to maintain they have not determined an exact route for the pipeline. The company maintains a pipeline is considerably safer than shipping petroleum products via the Hudson River to refineries in New Jersey or, for that matter, anywhere else.
The company does mention on their website their goal is to have more than 90 percent of the pipeline’s proposed route following pre-existing right-of-ways along existing utility routes.
The pipeline, though, could cross three rivers in New Jersey, all of which supply drinking water to residents and businesses, according to the New Jersey Sierra Club, which is actively fighting the move by
Pilgrim.”
Hehl, Cheryl. Union News 18 December 2014.