Trenton, NJ — Governor Phil Murphy’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today issued a sweeping set of permits — including a water quality certification, wetlands, flood hazard, and coastal development approvals — for the controversial Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) fracked-gas pipeline. The decision comes just hours after New York regulators approved the same project. It paves the way for construction of a massive fracked-gas pipeline and compressor station cutting through communities and coastal ecosystems across central New Jersey, threatening to stir up toxic sediments, destroy wetlands, and irreparably harm local waters.

The pipeline — a project championed by the Trump administration and defeated once before by public opposition — has again drawn widespread condemnation from community members, local officials, and environmental advocates across the region. Despite this, Murphy’s DEP has chosen to ignore the science and side with fossil-fuel corporations over the people of New Jersey.

“This decision is a disgrace,” said Matt Smith, New Jersey State Director at Food & Water Watch. “Governor Murphy just handed Trump and the fossil-fuel industry one of their biggest wins yet — and he did it at the expense of New Jersey’s clean water, climate, and coastal communities. Murphy once had the courage to reject this project, and now he’s caved. New Jerseyans will not forget that he sold out our waters and our future to corporate polluters.”

Murphy’s approval betrays his own climate promises and shows that his administration is unwilling to stand up to fossil-fuel interests. By greenlighting this project, Murphy has made clear that corporate polluters still hold the power in New Jersey’s energy decisions.