Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul and President Donald Trump discussed energy policy during a closed-door, Oval Office meeting.
On Tuesday, top officials in the president’s cabinet kicked off a groundbreaking event in Brooklyn for the long-stalled Northeast Supply Enhancement natural gas pipeline, slated to ship gas from Pennsylvania through New Jersey and New York.
What You Need To Know
On Tuesday, top officials in the president’s cabinet kicked off a groundbreaking event in Brooklyn for the long-stalled Northeast Supply Enhancement natural gas pipeline, slated to ship gas from Pennsylvania through New Jersey and New York
Officials claimed it will increase energy supply to over 2 million homes in the five boroughs and make a dent in energy affordability for the tri-state area
Construction is expected to start this fall and be completed by the end of 2027
“What we’re here to celebrate is not just infrastructure; it’s a foundation for America’s future,” said Doug Burgum, the U.S. secretary of the interior.
Officials claimed it will increase energy supply to over 2 million homes in the five boroughs and make a dent in energy affordability for the tri-state area.
“The Biden administration prided itself on how many power plants it closed, how much energy production it shut down,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, cheering the near-fulfillment of his boss’ policy goals.
The NESE pipeline connects Pennsylvania to New Jersey, then underneath the New York City harbor, about three miles off the Rockaway Peninsula.
Construction is expected to start this fall and be completed by the end of 2027.
“So New Yorkers and Long Islanders can have lower cost bills and, more importantly, greater job opportunities,” said Wright.
Environmental Protection Agency administrator, former Long Island Representative and failed 2022 gubernatorial candidate, Lee Zeldin, recalled an Oval Office meeting during the early days of Trump’s second term, getting an assignment from the Queens-born president.
“He was specifically asking about NESE, he was specifically asking about Constitution, and he wanted it built instantly. It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, I’m going to be here for four years, what can we start by the time we leave,’” he said.
Oklahoma-based company Williams said the $1 billion project could deliver thousands of jobs, increase energy supply to over 2 million homes and stabilize rising costs within the five boroughs.
And it’s also in preparation for new energy demands.
“We haven’t built a pipeline in New York in over a decade. We haven’t grown electricity production in the United States in over 25 years. And all of the sudden, this next generation of technology, the race for artificial intelligence is all going to be about electricity and energy,” said Williams CEO Chad Zamarin in an interview with NY1.
Marking a reversal in federal and New York state policy, as Northeast natural gas projects have fallen on the wrong side of politics, environmental concerns and the desire to accelerate the green energy transition.
New York’s former governor denied a previous application for this same route.
“Energy systems are a lot more complex than maybe we were led to believe that the only way to ensure that you have both lower emissions, a cleaner energy future, but also you protect affordability and reliability, is to complement renewables with clean, dispatchable natural gas,” Zamarin said.
Williams also gave credit to Hochul, who did not attend the Tuesday event.
Last March, Hochul and Trump met face to face and struck a deal, sources said, not to stand in the way of pipeline permitting in exchange for protecting union-held wind energy jobs.
In a statement, Hochul’s office told NY1: “The Governor had committed to attending President Joe Biden’s portrait unveiling ceremony at Syracuse University College of Law.”
Meanwhile, protesters stood outside the event, which also drew ire from environmental groups like the Sierra Club.
“Agency scientists determined that the NESE pipeline would cause unacceptable degradation of water quality and marine life to New York waters just a few years ago. We cannot compromise our laws and scientific principles just to appease the Trump administration’s overreach,” said Roger Downs, the conservation director at the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter.
Officials said they’ve run tests before receiving permitting approval to test the safety of construction.
Meanwhile, Hochul has blamed the Trump administration’s end to wind and solar energy subsidies. But, this year, she’s keen on amending strict deadlines set out in New York’s 2019 climate law, arguing it’s too expensive.
When asked if the law, geared toward diminishing New York’s reliance on fossil fuels, could strangle the pipeline in future years, Williams defended their investment.
“We believe in the merit of this project for the people of New York and the people of this region,” said Zamarin.
Officials said that next on their list of projects is the Williams-backed Constitution Pipeline, which would run through upstate New York into Massachusetts.