The Williams Company, which installed a natural gas pipeline last year on the Princeton Ridge, is proposing to build a compressor station along an existing natural gas pipeline, possibly inside Trap Rock Quarry in Kingston.

Residents of the area who are worried about the environmental impact and noise of such a project attended a special meeting August 10 of the Franklin Township Council to air their concerns and hear from the Texas-based Williams firm.

The company is considering two sites for the compressor station. One is 35.9 acres located off Route 27, near Promenade Boulevard; the other is a 52.2-acre expanse north of that, between Route 518 and Route 27. The facility would take up about six acres, according to the Williams website, and would require clearing approximately 15 acres, while the remaining acreage would be left wooded.

Chris Stockton, a spokesman for -Williams, said this week that it is too early in the planning stages to identify all of the issues. But there is “a lot of misinformation” about the nature of compressor facilities, he said. “We are regulated by the Federal Environmental Regulatory Commission [FERC] and they have very strict standards we have to follow,” he said. “FERC regulates that you can’t exceed a certain noise standard at the property line that is equivalent to about what you’d get in a household refrigerator. So we don’t perceive that as being an issue.”

Regarding harmful chemicals, Mr. Stockton said the company already operates five compressor facilities in New Jersey. “There are no chemicals that we’re emitting. There are emissions from the facilities, but they fall under the state and federal regulations. We have to comply with those regulations, so it is certainly something we’re aware of and will build into the design.”

Lauren Nagy, an owner of Cooperative 518 farm in Franklin Township, finds the proposals alarming. “Our farm is less than a mile from both of the proposed sites,” she said after attending the recent meeting. “We’re concerned that pollution would affect what we grow. We provide food for over 100 families in a CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] program.”

The Williams firm’s assertion that the project would be safe did not put residents’ minds at rest. “They said there was no hazard to human health, that they go above and beyond safety standards,” Ms. Nagy said. “It’s a bunch of brainwashing. None of it made anyone feel better. Williams has a lot to gain.”

Mr. Stockton said Williams delivers half the natural gas used in New Jersey. “But the customer for this project is New York,” he added. “What’s happening in New York right now is that they’re converting buildings that were using heavy fuel oils to gas. So we provide half of the gas used in New York City, which is part of what is driving this.” The project would bring gas from the local area out to Long Island.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said there are serious concerns about the proposed project. “There is a tremendous amount of environmental impact,” he said. “It will cover acres of land, be very noisy and vent a lot of toxic chemicals. People don’t realize compressor stations are a place where you can have everything from benzene to arsenic and uranium. So it’s really pretty serious from an air quality standpoint. It’s also bad for water quality because you can get runoff from the industrial plant of diesel fuel, lubricant, and other contaminants.”

New Jersey residents are not the ones served by the proposed plant. “So the gas companies get the money, we get the noise and the pollution, and New York gets the gas. It’s a bad deal all around,” Mr. Tittel added.

Williams is currently doing the environmental work necessary to narrow down the choices of a site from two to one. “We hope to have that done before the fall,” Mr. Stockton said. “Once we feel comfortable with a location, we will file an application with FERC next spring. The goal would be to start construction sometime in the summer of 2018.”

The company is making an effort to convey information to the public, he added. “We’re still very early in the planning stages. Sometimes it’s frustrating for folks because we don’t have definitive answers yet. But we’re trying to be transparent. We’re in the pre-filing process. We’re trying to identify all of the issues that are out there.”