To the editor:
I want to draw attention to the Williams-Transco compressor station on Cold Soil Road in Lawrence that is proposed to be expanded. There are many facts that people must be made aware of as it threatens the health and safety of thousands of residents.
Residents need to know that the station is currently a “peaker station, only used during peak load times, such as the coldest winter days. If expanded, it will become a high-use compressor, doubling its capacity. Projects like the proposed PennEast pipeline that tie into the Williams system would increase the compressor station use further. This will compound our health and safety risks, imperil our drinking water, and decrease property values.
It has been well documented that the increased volume of gas proposed to come into and through the state is not needed, and its transmission will negatively impact New Jersey’s environmental quality (air, land, and water). High-use compressor stations compromise air quality by spewing carcinogenic VOCs, heavy metals, and fine particulate matter that harm our lungs. The new compressor station would also put our water at further risk through increased emissions and damage to irreplaceable wetlands and streams that supply drinking water.
Williams-Transco does not want us to hear about this. I urge residents to look beyond the public relations spin and really understand what is proposed to take place right in their community. I call on my fellow residents to take action and write letters or call local representatives to give them a wake-up call that will get their attention.
Patty Cronheim
Hopewell Township
