Murphy DEP Proposed Permit To Construct Massive Fossil Gas Storage "Caverns" Along The Delaware River

Project Recalls DEP Commissioner's Worst Revolving Door Abuse Ever

• DEP Multiple Permits And New Regulations To Promote Expansion Of New Fossil Infrastructure Make A Mockery Of Gov. Murphy's Climate And Renewable Energy Transition Claims

• "Moving Energy, Powering Tomorrow"

The Murphy DEP recently proposed a permit to allow construction of "two new 640,000-barrel hard rock underground storage cavern systems" for fossil gas, primarily highly flammable and explosive gases methane, propane, & butane, AKA "Liquified Petroleum Gas" (LPG)

Take a look at the massive scale of the fossil infrastructure involved at the Repauno Port & Rail Terminal (hit this link to watch video)

The Gibbstown Logistics Center sits on over 1,600 acres located next to the Delaware River in Gloucester County, New Jersey, on the grounds of Dupont's former explosives manufacturing site known as the Repauno Plant. The facility stores natural gas liquids (NGLs), like butane and propane, in underground caverns and transfers NGLs from trucks and railcars to cargo ships for export. The Gibbstown Center is owned by Delaware River Partners LLC, a subsidiary of New Fortress Energy, who has plans to expand the facility in order to accommodate exports of liquefied natural gas from the proposed Bradford County LNG terminal in Wyalusing, Pennsylvania. For more information on the Dock 2 Expansion Project and actions being taken by local community groups in opposition, please visit the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. [Source: Oil and Gas Watch]

Delaware River Partners, LLC, previously was legally represented by Shawn LaTourette, who secured DEP permits for the facility. LaTourette currently is the DEP Commissioner, creating what I called "The Fastest And Most Egregious Revolving Door Ever".

LaTourette's DEP not only issued many additional permits to Delaware River Partners, they crafted an entire new set of regulations specifically to promote the expansion of the Delaware River Partners Gibbstown Logistics Center.

DEP Commissioner LaTourette was forced to recuse, so those rules were adopted by Sean D. Moriarty, Deputy Commissioner, a man with many related massive ethical challenges.

As we warned 3 years ago when the new DEP "Underground Cavern rules" were proposed, this project was a done deal:

the Gibbstown LNG project [is] seeking expansion of the current cavern capacity of 186,000 barrels to 3 million barrels!

I can't recall any industry or facility ever getting this kind of intensive and favorable regulatory treatment by the DEP.

DEP is taking public comments on the construction permit until June 14, 2025 (here's information on how to comment from Delaware Riverkeeper).

Of course, the DEP construction permit rules (the new cavern rules) governing this construction permit allow DEP to decouple the construction permit issues from other environmental permits the DEP already has issued (e.g. wetlands, stream encroachment, air pollution) and well as required future permits for water pollution, et al. The Delaware River Basin Commission apparently previously has issued their approvals as well.

The DEP construction permit rules also allow DEP to separate the construction permit from "operating permits" that regulate critical public safety issues involved in massive storage of highly flammable and explosive gases. Those critical issues will be considered at some future point under NJ's "Bhopal bill", known as the Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act (TCPA).

And of course, the DEP not only allows "segmentation" of numerous permits, but totally fails to even consider the climate and cumulative impacts of this massive fossil infrastructure.

So, given the revolving door corruption and the broken and dysfunctional DEP regulatory framework, this all amounts to some kind of sick joke that makes a mockery of the bullshit slogans from Gov. Murphy and DEP Commissioner LaTourette about the climate emergency and the need to transition to renewable energy.

And the Repauno facility’s Logo shoves it right down our throats and openly brags of their commitment to the fossil future:

"Moving Energy, Powering Tomorrow".