NYS reviewing 2 natural gas pipeline projects that had been shelved in the past

Two weeks after the federal government green-lighted a stalled Long Island offshore wind project following pressure from Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York State on Monday confirmed it is reviewing two shelved natural-gas pipeline projects that had been previously rejected by the state.

In a statement to Newsday on Monday, the state Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed it received applications for the two gas pipeline projects, known as Constitution Pipeline and Northeast Supply Enhancement, on Friday.

In reviewing the applications from subsidiaries of gas infrastructure firm the Williams Companies, the DEC in a statement said its processes for issuing state permits are "thorough, transparent and guided by stringent state and environmental laws and regulations."

The DEC said it "subjects permit applications to a rigorous review process that encourages public input at every step and ensures the protection of public health and the environment."

The applications follow a series of major shifts in the energy sector following President Donald Trump's election last fall. Offshore wind companies that had already been under pressure from interest rate, supply and cost pressures faced new headwinds of Trump’s known opposition to wind.

Trump’s executive order freezing new leases and scrutinizing permits, and calls for an end to generous federal subsidies led some companies to drop out of existing bid requests, including in New York State.

Most troubling to some was a stop-work order issued by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in April that halted construction on Empire Wind 14 miles off Long Island just as offshore work was commencing.

Among the array of political forces that sought to overturn that decision, including U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Hochul took much of the credit for persuading Burgum to allow work to proceed as federal environmental reviews continued.

Burgum’s office, in responding to Newsday’s questions to the White House about the lifted order, pointed to the interior secretary’s social media post saying he’d decided to go ahead after Hochul’s "comments about her willingness to move forward on critical [natural gas] pipeline capacity."

Paul DeMichele, a spokesman for Hochul, referred questions about the pipeline permit process to the DEC.

Asked if Hochul ever expressed any "willingness" to allow pipelines into New York to Burgum as a condition for allowing Empire Wind to restart, DeMichele in an email said, "This administration is committed to improving reliability and reducing costs for New Yorkers, and all applications are reviewed impartially to determine potential impact and compliance with state law."

Williams Co. in a statement said it has already submitted a petition to federal energy regulators to reinstate the NESE project, as well as to the environmental regulators in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York for NESE and Constitution Pipeline projects.

"The NESE and Constitution projects are essential to address persistent natural gas supply constraints in the Northeast, constraints that have led to higher energy costs for consumers and increased reliance on higher-emission fuels like fuel oil," Williams Co. said in an emailed statement.

National Grid New York general counsel Phil DeCicco, in a statement said, "We will continue to work closely with our regulator as well as state and federal partners to evaluate all options to address the region’s growing and critical energy needs.”

Resistance to both projects is expected to be stiff. On Friday, a contingent of activist groups issued statements calling for Hochul to stand firm against them.

"Gov. Hochul must make it absolutely clear that New York will not revive the Williams Constitution or NESE pipelines under any circumstances," said Laura Shindell, New York State director of Food & Water Watch, in the statement. "These projects were defeated because they posed serious threats to our environment, climate, and communities across the state, and nothing about that has changed."

Mark Izeman, senior strategist of environmental health at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in the statement, "These ill-considered pipelines are Exhibit A in what we should not do if we want clean water and healthy communities."

And Eric Wood, senior environmental program coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group, wrote in the statement that Hochul "must stand strong with the DEC and the Supreme Court in prioritizing the health and safety of her constituents by ensuring that construction of the Constitution and NESE pipelines are not permitted."

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.