The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide whether it will hear a case that could well mean life or death for the proposed PennEast Pipeline project.
Before the high court decides on Penn East v. State of New Jersey, NJBIA’s Ray Cantor joined with David N. Taylor, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association, to pen an op-ed for the Washington Times on why the court should allow the pipeline to be built. Currently, a lower court ruling, if let stand, would probably kill the project.
In short, the PennEast pipeline is essential for providing low-cost natural gas, with estimates saying consumers could save as much as $900 million a year in energy costs.
“From a business perspective this low-cost source of natural gas has rejuvenated our petrochemical and manufacturing industries, reliant on low-cost energy,” they wrote. “Thousands of good-paying jobs have been created as a result and more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs in both states benefit from more affordable and reliable natural gas.”
They noted that New Jersey, a state that imports all of its natural gas, has benefited both economically and environmentally. The Garden State uses natural gas to create over 50% of its electric generation and to heat 75% of its homes and buildings. As a matter of fact, the state has replaced four coal-fired power plants with natural gas facilities.
