PennEast has hired some powerful lobbying firms to lobby for the pipeline in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It paid $260,270 to outside lobbyists in New Jersey in 2016.
These lobbying firmns are:
- Princeton Public Affairs Group (PPAG), the most powerful lobbying firm in New Jersey. PPAG took in $3 million more than its nearest competitor in 2016. It is the main outside lobbying firm for PennEast in New Jersey.
- Mercury LLC, a global consulting and lobbyist firm that has been hired by PennEast to lobby for the pipeline. Michael DuHaime, the head of Mercury, was named the 40th most powerful person in New Jersey in 2017 by NJBIZ.
- Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, a powerful, Pittsburgh-based lobbying firm that represents the oil, gas, and coal industries, and which is a revolving door powerhouse – many of its employees have worked in Pennsylvania state government.
Additionally, UGI has also had its in-house lobbyists lobby for the pipeline in Pennsylvania and DC.