CHESTERFIELD, NJ – A baby is about to be born to Katie and Mike Marlin of Chesterfield, New Jersey (just off exit 7 of the New Jersey Turnpike), as a massive natural gas pipeline is laid 75 feet in front of their home. The corner-edge of the Marlin’s property is exactly 50 feet from the corner-edge of the property of the compressor station, just across the street and to the right. The station requires so much power, it has its own electrical substation, and in another couple of years, another compressor station may be built right next to it.

The natural gas pipeline is being laid by New Jersey Natural Gas, even though they have not been given a permit to do so (the compressor station construction was permitted a few months ago). The blast radius of this 42 inch, 800 psi natural gas pipeline is more than a 1/4 of a mile—1320 feet. Not to mention that this family, at least for the time being, has well water that is safe to drink, a garden that grows, five fruit trees that are safe to pick, a backyard that is safe to play on, a home that has value, and air that is safe to breathe.

The gas is flowing east, towards—or to?—the Jersey shore, and the Marlins are just east of the station. Three doors down from the Marlins, going further east, is a farm. The only source of irrigation for this property is a lake in the back. Because the compressor station is being built on wetlands, it is being “dewatered,” so the foundation is solid to build upon. This process will permanently drain the farmer’s lake, ending this household’s more than fifty-year career of farming, and thus eliminating their only source of revenue. The property is currently zoned as farmland, but since he will no longer be able to fulfill that zoning requirement of selling produce, it will likely soon be rezoned as residential. When that happens, his taxes may go up by about 600%, and he will likely be evicted. At that point, the township will likely transform the property into an apartment complex with a couple of parks behind it. All poisoned.

From Mike Marlin:

Saying hello to the unwanted new neighbor. This project is set to run within about 75 feet from our front door and as close as 20 feet to some other homes in its path, as well as a huge veterans memorial cemetery, fire department, ambulance station, churches, schools parks and much more all dangerously close. The pipeline is not even needed it is only intended for what they claim to be “redundancy” as it heads straight for the Jersey shore. When will it become about the people instead of the money?

This family and this picture represents everything that is wrong with America.

– By: Jeff Epstein