Raritan Bay Pipeline Advances Toward Construction

The New Jersey Tidelands Resource Council voted on May 6 to grant Williams a utility license for the Northeast Supply Enhancement project, a long-disputed natural gas expansion that includes a pipeline under Raritan Bay. The vote cleared a state approval Williams needed for work in New Jersey tidelands, according to Patch and the New Jersey Monitor. The project is part of Williams’ Transco system and is designed to move more gas from Pennsylvania through New Jersey to New York. NJDEP says the project would add 400,000 dekatherms per day of capacity to the Rockaway Transfer Point off Queens. ### What exactly did New Jersey approve on May 6? The Tidelands Resource Council approved a utility license for the offshore portion of the project on May 6, allowing Williams to construct under state-owned tidelands in Raritan Bay and connected waterways, according to Patch and the New Jersey Monitor. Patch reported the company needed that license before construction could begin in New Jersey waters. (patch.com) NJDEP said on its NESE project page that the department’s Division of Land Resource Protection had already approved a Freshwater Wetlands Individual Permit, Coastal Wetlands Permit, Flood Hazard Area permits, Waterfront Development permits and a Water Quality Certificate on Nov. 7, 2025. NJDEP also said its Division of Air Quality and Radiation Protection approved a preconstruction air permit for Compressor Station 206 on Jan. 12, 2026. (patch.com) ### Where would the pipeline run? NJDEP says the New Jersey portion includes three regulated components: Compressor Station 206 in Franklin Township, the Madison Loop in Sayreville and Old Bridge, and the offshore Raritan Loop. The Madison Loop would add about 3.43 miles of new 26-inch-diameter pipeline in Middlesex County, according to NJDEP. FERC’s environmental review says the Raritan Bay Loop would include 23.5 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline in New Jersey and New York, including about 6.0 miles in New Jersey waters and 17.3 miles in New York waters. (dep.nj.gov) Patch reported the line would enter the bay at Cliffwood Beach and terminate in Rockaway, Queens. ### How big is the project beyond the bay crossing? FERC’s 2019 final environmental impact statement says the full NESE project also includes 10.2 miles of 42-inch pipeline in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, modifications to Compressor Station 200 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, a new Compressor Station 206 in Somerset County, New Jersey, and ancillary facilities. A 2025 Federal Register notice on FERC’s air review repeated those core project elements. (ferc.gov) NJDEP says the project is proposed as an expansion of Transco’s existing system from Pennsylvania through New Jersey to New York. The department says the added capacity would serve the existing Rockaway Transfer Point about three miles offshore of the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. ### What are opponents objecting to? The May 6 council meeting drew nearly five hours of public comment, and the New Jersey Monitor reported that only two people besides Williams officials spoke in support of the plan. (ferc.gov) Opponents cited risks to water quality, habitat and public health, according to the Monitor, Patch and MyCentralJersey’s report summary. (dep.nj.gov) FERC staff said in its final environmental impact statement that construction and operation of the project would result in some adverse environmental impacts. Clean Ocean Action said after the vote that the offshore pipeline could affect more than 93,000 square feet of habitat, including areas in Raritan Bay and Cheesequake Creek tributary tidelands. That habitat estimate comes from the group, not from the state permit page. (newjerseymonitor.com) ### Has construction already started? Williams said on April 14 that it had marked the official start of construction on the NESE project at a groundbreaking ceremony at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. EPA said Administrator Lee Zeldin, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright attended that event. (ferc.gov) Patch reported after the May 6 vote that Williams was expected to begin construction on the bay pipeline in the third quarter of 2026. The company’s April announcement and the state approvals indicate the project has moved from permitting into active construction planning and early work, though the timing of specific offshore work was not detailed in the state permit summary reviewed here. (williams.com) ### What should readers watch next? NJDEP’s NESE project page remains the clearest public record for New Jersey permits already issued, including the Nov. 7, 2025 land and water approvals and the Jan. 12, 2026 air permit for Compressor Station 206. FERC’s docket materials remain the main source for the federal project description and environmental review. (patch.com) Williams’ next visible milestones are likely to be construction updates tied to the Raritan Bay Loop, the Madison Loop and Compressor Station 206. Patch reported expected construction in the third quarter of 2026, while Williams has already publicly held a groundbreaking in Brooklyn on April 14. (patch.com) (dep.nj.gov)