MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Over 100 residents, community leaders, and advocates gathered at Bayshore Waterfront Park on Tuesday evening to oppose the revived Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project. The rally, organized by Food & Water Watch and local partners, came just one day before the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s only scheduled public hearing on the controversial pipeline.

The Williams/Transco project would transport fracked gas under Raritan Bay and through New York Harbor, while also adding a massive compressor station in Franklin Township. Onshore pipeline sections would cut through Hunterdon, Somerset, and Middlesex counties before reaching the bay — putting communities across New Jersey directly in the pipeline’s path. Regulators in both New Jersey and New York have rejected the project multiple times, citing water quality and health concerns.

“This reckless pipeline was already rejected because it threatens our water, health, and climate,” said Matt Smith, New Jersey State Director at Food & Water Watch. “Governor Murphy and the DEP must stand with New Jersey communities and deny the permits once again.”

Speakers at the rally emphasized the dangers posed by NESE, including the resuspension of toxic sediment in Raritan Bay and air pollution from the proposed compressor station. They also warned that approving new fossil fuel infrastructure would lock the region into decades of pollution, undermining state climate goals and public health protections.

With the Trump administration pressuring states to fast-track fossil fuel projects, community members vowed to continue building opposition until the pipeline is permanently defeated.