Chatham Township Passes Ordinance Prohibiting Unregulated Pipelines

The Chatham Township Committee passed an ordinance prohibiting pipelines within the Township that are not public utilities that distribute services to end users and are unregulated by the Board of Public Utilities.

The first of its kind ordinance could impact the construction of the Pilgrim Pipeline, a 178-mile oil pipeline from Albany, New York, to Linden, through Chatham Township. According to the Township, unregulated pipelines are designed to carry a variety of substances, including hazardous materials which, if discharged, would result in degradation to the environment.

“In passing this ordinance the Chatham Township Committee has taken the lead in establishing the necessary restrictions to ensure the public’s safety health and welfare, as well as environmental concerns from unregulated pipelines that could potentially pass through Chatham Township,” Chatham Township Mayor Kevin Sullivan said. “Our efforts are an important step in addressing issues that had previously not been reflective in our Municipal Land Use Laws and I would encourage other municipalities to review their own ordinances to address and reflect the concerns of their community.”

The Township Committee holds that there is limited accountability to the public as the unregulated pipelines do not provide for necessities, including electricity, water, gas, telephone or waste water, the Township said. Additionally, the Committee cited potential threats to existing infrastructure which already provides the aforementioned utilities.

For more information, read the full ordinance from the Chatham Township Committee.