SJ Gas Is Cited By DEP For Environmental Crime

South Jersey Gas Company was hit with a notice of violation by the New Jersey DEP.
They have contaminated a site in Atlantic City and have failed to take proper steps to clean it up.
South Jersey Gas Company is the company that proposed the plan to build a pipeline through the Pinelands.
A pipeline on SJGC site in Atlantic City leaked coal-tar compounds contaminating the soil, beach and sediment. SJGC has refused to clean up the mess.
This is the same company that is trying to push through a pipeline through the middle of the Pinelands.Construction and maintenance of this kind of pipeline could have caused environmental damage to the Pinelands forest and roadside habitats. The proposed route would also cross at least two populations of threatened or endangered plants. The Pinelands is an environmentally sensitive area filled with endangered plant and animal species which this pipeline project would have potentially impacted. 
South Jersey Gas Company has owned the site since 1979 and have had it under Administrative Consent Order since 1992. It has taken far too long for DEP to take action, but at least they have. Under the Christie administration enforcement has dropped 60% showing how serious this is with DEP not taking action. Coal-tar was used to turn coal into natural gas. It is one of the most toxic substances known to man carcinogenic and bio-accumulates into the environment getting into the fisheries and the birds.  
DEP for decades has said that South Jersey Gas Company has to clean up the site to an unrestricted level, which would have allowed for resident uses. Instead they wanted to only clean up part of the site to restricted use and failed to clean up other parts of the site. Under the License Site Profession Law their consultants only wanted to do a restricted clean up meaning capping. Rendering the site useless since it is zoned residential.