One of PennEast’s favorite ploys when talking about their proposed pipeline route is how painstakingly they worked to “co-locate” the route.   Co-location generally means putting the route along an existing utility corridor, under the theory that the corridor has already damaged the environment, so you might as well stick more utilities there rather than push through an alternative greenfield route.

Of course, those of us who have looked at the route in detail know it’s not actually co-located.  And that, in fact,  much of it is in fact green field routes through steep slopes, preserved farmland, and pristine, beautiful properties.  But sometimes it’s hard to convince people of the facts.

To help show people the truth behind PennEast’s routing choices, I’m preparing 3D videos of the route through Google Earth.  This shows the reality of the route as proposed to PennEast’s marketing spin.

First up is the route just as it crosses the Delaware River and comes into the Holland, NJ area.

The large smokey gray area is the 400′ wide survey corridor. The light blue areas are the proposed temporary construction spaces (on top of the existing 100′ clear-cut construction zone, not shown here), and finally the 50′ wide permanent easement.

The route here is through some of the most ecologically sensitive in the state of NJ. Here we see routing along the Milford bluffs, and going right through the Gravel Hill Natural Heritage Priority Site. “Natural Heritage Priority Site” is a special designation by the NJDEP for the most critical and unique eco systems in the state.

You see the pipeline going up and down steep slopes everywhere. You see pristine farm land and wooded areas that will be slashed down to the bare earth. You see the true extent of devastation this project will cause.

But funny, one thing I don’t see here is co-location.