The state of New York has approved a contentious natural gas pipeline that is expected to bring fuel to New York City residents but is drawing fire from some Democrats.
On Friday, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued a permit allowing for the construction of the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline.
This vessel would bring gas from Pennsylvania to Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.
In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) cited the state’s energy needs and said it is taking an “all-of-the-above” approach.
“As Governor, a top priority is making sure the lights and heat stay on for all New Yorkers as we face potential energy shortages downstate as soon as next summer,” Hochul said.
“And while I have expressed an openness to natural gas, I have also been crystal clear that all proposed projects must be reviewed impartially by the required agencies to determine compliance with state and federal laws. I am comfortable that in approving the permits, including a water quality certification, for the NESE application, the DEC did just that,” she added.
The decision comes after New York’s grid operator recently warned that the state could soon face reliability challenges.
The permit’s approval move met with pushback from some Democrats in the state.
“I am profoundly disappointed by New York State’s decision to approve the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) fracked-gas pipeline. This project was rejected three times in the past for failing to meet the state’s own water-quality standards, and nothing about the project has changed,” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.
“The NESE pipeline will cut through sensitive marine ecosystems off Staten Island and the Rockaway Peninsula, potentially dredging up contaminated sediments that contain arsenic, mercury, lead, and PCBs. It threatens coastal economies that depend on clean water, recreation, and tourism, while exposing nearby communities to unnecessary health and safety risks,” he added.
A group of 17 New York Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recently wrote a letter to the governor and DEC commissioner expressing “concern” about the pipeline.
The state’s decision comes after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said earlier this year that Hochul expressed “willingness to move forward on critical pipeline capacity.”
That comment came as Hochul announced she was able to save an offshore wind project by working with the Trump administration.
However, her office said at the time that “no deal on any natural gas pipeline was reached.”
The permit approval comes after the state rejected the pipeline in 2020.
It said in a letter accompanying the new approval that while New York usually requires 6 feet of depth for pipelines in its waters, it has now determined that four feet is acceptable for this project.
“The basis for this determination is such a depth further minimizes total suspended sediment, as well as the absence along the Project route of (i) electromagnetic fields associated with high voltage transmission cables and (ii) seafloor areas heavily fished by bottomtending fishing gear,” it said.
The pipeline is expected to run through New Jersey, as well as the Raritan Bay and Lower New York Bay to approximately three miles off the coast of Queens’s Rockaway Peninsula.
