The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) on Thursday voted to suspend approval for key parts of a small liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project in New Jersey. 

The DRBC, a quasi-regulatory agency involving four states and the U.S. government that oversees the Delaware River watershed, stayed the decision it made last summer allowing a New Fortress Energy LLC (NFE) affiliate to build a dock to load LNG tankers at the proposed Gibbstown Logistics Center. Commissioners suspended the approval to take “additional time to review the voluminous record in this matter…to prevent any potential harm to the basin” pending a final OK, said spokesperson Peter Eschbach.

Environmental groups have staunchly opposed the project. A petition with 50,000 signatures was delivered on...