NJ DEPARTMENT of ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AIR QUALITY, ENERGY, AND SUSTAINABILITY

Notice of Rule Proposal
Underground Storage Caverns
Proposed New Rules: N.J.A.C. 7:1F

PUBLIC NOTICE
Take notice that the NJ Department of Environmental Protection is proposing new Underground Storage Caverns rules at N.J.A.C. 7:1F.   
This proposed rulemaking implements N.J.S.A. 58:10-35.1 through 35.4, which require any person to obtain a permit from the Department before constructing or operating an underground storage cavern. The proposed new rules would govern the construction, operation, modification, and decommissioning of underground storage cavern systems used for the underground storage of any natural or artificial gas, or any petroleum product or derivative of any petroleum product, excluding liquefied natural gas.

The proposal is scheduled to be published in the New Jersey Register dated May 16, 2022.  A copy of the proposal is available on the Department’s webpage at: http://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/proposals/proposal-20220516a.pdf and LexisNexis free public access to the New Jersey Register (https://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/njoal). 

A public hearing concerning the proposal will be conducted virtually via the Department’s video conferencing software on June 9, 2022, at 10:00 A.M. 

Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet, or smartphone. 
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_N2YyZjU2YzQtMTY4Ny00ODZiLWE5ZjEtMmRlMGJiNmI4YzMw%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%225076c3d1-3802-4b9f-b36a-e0a41bd642a7%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%224ce9ec70-e101-4739-a64f-81e1935e7f44%22%7d

You can also dial in using your phone.
Phone Number: 1 856-338-7074
Conference ID: 140 890 390#

If you are interested in providing oral testimony or submitting written comments at the virtual public hearing, please email the Department at Sonya.Silcox@dep.nj.gov no later than 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, with your contact information (name, organization, telephone number, and email address). 

Written comments are due by July 15, 2022.  The Department encourages electronic submittal of comments. Written comments may be submitted electronically at www.nj.gov/dep/rules/comments. Please note: To submit a comment longer than 20,000 characters (about 10 pages), please email rulemakingcomments@dep.nj.gov and send your comment(s) as a document attachment. In the alternative, comments may be submitted on paper to:

Melissa P. Abatemarco, Esq.
Attn:  DEP Docket Number: 03-22-03
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
Office of Legal Affairs
Mail Code 401-04L; PO Box 402
401 East State Street, 7th Floor
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402