To the Editor,
As a Republican candidate for Hopewell Township Committee, I want to express my firm opposition to the Penn East Pipeline.
I was happy to read that on Sept. 10, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Penn East cannot condemn public land which includes state, county, municipal including preserved open space. The ruling places a roadblock in Penn East’s plans to begin building its pipeline in Hopewell Township.
The pipeline would have a clear, devastating impact on the environment in Hopewell Township. If I am elected as a Hopewell Township Committee member, I will continue to fight against the pipeline.
The history of opposition to the Penn East pipeline includes both Democrats and Republicans. Both parties have long fought against the pipeline.
My running mate John Hart has consistently voted against the pipeline. John and I are both long-time farmers, environmental advocates and we run local businesses. We both are intimately familiar with soils, water sources and environmental terrains throughout the township. We fully understand the destructive impact the pipeline would have. Our knowledge will be instrumental not just in fighting the pipeline, but in more effective planning for the township.
When last in the majority in 2015, it was the Republicans who led the attack against the pipeline. The point should be clear. Opposition to the construction of the Penn East pipeline will continue to be a bipartisan issue.
This election, instead, should focus on the township’s exorbitant 4.68% tax increase, their recent planning that extended sewer service to environmentally sensitive lands on Scotch Road, and their callous disdain for the many public watchdogs.
Ed “Jack” Jackowski
Hopewell Township
