South Jersey gas reapplies to build natural gas pipeline in New Jersey's Pinelands

South Jersey Gas is again seeking permission to build a 22-mile natural gas pipeline in New Jersey's Pinelands.

The company on Thursday filed an amendment to its 2013 application, which government regulators rejected in 2014.

The company argues the pipeline to the B.L. England Generating Station in Upper Township meets standards for approval.

At issue is how much gas would be used by customers outside the Pinelands.

The company says the pipeline would make customers less vulnerable to an outage in the event of an accident or natural disaster.

About 500,000 people live in the Pinelands National Reserve, which covers 1.1 million acres in seven counties and 56 municipalities.

Environmental groups said the pipeline construction would damage land and leave the area open to future development.