Proposed New Jersey natural-gas pipelines spark outcry among residents

Trenton, New Jersey

NOT in my backyard, under my street, through my woods, near my dream house or, for that matter, around my chubsuckers.

Thousands of New Jerseyans want nothing to do with proposals to build or expand roughly 15 natural-gas pipelines. No matter that utilities say the projects are necessary in a part of the US where 45 per cent of electricity comes from natural-gas combustion. No matter the promises of better reliability, four years after New Jersey's costliest natural disaster left 1.4 million customers without power.

The companies, critics say, have an ally in Governor Chris Christie, a Republican running for president, with policy changes and swift reviews to counter conservation regulations and to prolong reliance on fossil fuels over renewable energy. At risk, in the most densely populated US state, …