FERC approves Spectra Energy Pipeline — construction begins!

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave final approval of the natural gas pipeline expansion to run through parts of Jersey City and Bayonne and offshore of Hoboken. The approval is the latest in a years-long effort to find an acceptable route for the pipeline and allow work to begin.

The decision was preceded by FERC’s earlier finding that the project would be “evironmentally acceptable.”

That report said the 20-mile pipeline would have “limited adverse environmental impacts” mostly during the construction phase. The plan received final approval by the commission’s board on May 21.

IUOE Local 825 members had supported the pipeline project for more than two years to help meet increased demands for natural gas in our region and provide good jobs for our members.

The Bayonne Bridge raising project is ahead of schedule

According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the project to raise the roadway of the bridge will be completed earlier than projected. The deck removal portion of the project will be completed by the fall of 2015 instead of the original target of mid-2016.

“Completing this important project ahead of schedule will ensure that our ports remain a vital link to the global economy and the destination of choice for international shippers and cargo,” Governor Chris Christie said.

FERC OKs pipeline through Hunterdon County

Pending approval of a final implementation plan, a controversial interstate energy expansion project got the green light from state and federal regulatory officials to construct nearly 7 miles of natural gas pipeline through Hunterdon County.

The $341 million Northeast Supply Link project is designed to expand the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Co.’s existing underground pipeline infrastructure to transport natural gas produced by Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale fields to northeastern markets. The project is expected to deliver gas to Princeton and New York by November 2013, with construction scheduled to begin this spring, according to a spokeswoman for the project’s owner, Tulsa-based natural gas transporter Williams Partners LP.