Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the senior Northeastern Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, responded to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision to approve the Spectra Energy NJ-NY Expansion Project, which would run under the Hudson River from New Jersey to Gansevoort Street in Lower Manhattan.

Nadler issued the following statement:

“This week, FERC approved the Spectra Energy pipeline, which will cut through Manhattan’s West Village and Meatpacking District.  While I believe that, in the short term, we need natural gas to meet our city’s energy demands, I share the concerns of many of my constituents about the implications of the Spectra project for neighborhood safety and the environment.

“As I stated in my October 2011 comments to FERC regarding the draft Environmental Impact Statement, I am deeply concerned about the potential dangers posed by natural gas pipelines, as dramatized by the 2010 explosion in San Bruno, California, and other accidents.  As a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have pushed hard for the highest level of pipeline safety laws and regulations.  These dangers are deadly serious and require particular attention when a pipeline is planned through extremely dense residential areas like the West Village and Meatpacking District.

“Additionally, the construction of this pipeline must not open the door to increased hydraulic fracturing, nor be used as a pretext to permit hydraulic fracturing in the New York City watershed, which I have long opposed and will continue to fight against.”

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