Hochul administration approves climate-damaging fracked gas pipeline in NY harbor, which also threatens to saddle New Yorkers with higher bills
New York, NY — Governor Kathy Hochul’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today granted a water quality certification for the controversial Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) fracked gas pipeline even though Williams failed to show the project would comply with New York’s water quality standards. The project is also expected to saddle National Grid customers with $3.2 billion in costs over 15 years. The pipeline — which President Trump personally pressured Hochul to approve — has drawn overwhelming opposition from communities concerned about threats to local waters, costs, and climate impacts.
More than 50,000 public comments, a letter from ten Democratic members of Congress including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a statement from 130 New York elected officials all condemned the project.
Hochul’s pipeline will degrade water quality along NYC beaches, raise utility bills for families and businesses, and lock New Yorkers into decades of fossil fuel dependence at a time when science demands a rapid shift to renewable energy. The Governor’s DEC rushed the project’s approval through an abbreviated review with no public hearings.
“This decision is a betrayal of New Yorkers,” said Laura Shindell, New York State Director at Food & Water Watch. “In granting the certification for this pipeline, Governor Hochul has not only sided with Trump, she’s fast-tracked his agenda. Hochul has shown New Yorkers she’d prefer to do Trump’s dirty work rather than protect our waterways from pollution. She hasn’t kept her promises to fight against skyrocketing energy bills or the climate crisis. But New Yorkers will fight Hochul’s dirty pipeline every step of the way — alongside our communities — until it is stopped for good.”
“Governor Hochul should know that New Yorkers can’t afford the approval of more fracked gas pipelines like Williams’ NESE project. We can’t afford it in our utility bills, we can’t afford it in more climate pollution, and we can’t afford more polluted water. While the DEC has previously rejected this proposal multiple times, with this decision, New York is now moving backwards to do the bidding of the fossil fuel industry and its promoters in the White House – at the expense of the public,” said Eric Wood, Senior Environmental Program Coordinator for NYPIRG, the New York Public Interest Research Group.
“Governor Hochul’s support for the Williams NESE fracked gas pipeline puts fossil fuel profits over New Yorkers who swim, surf, fish, work, and raise families along our coast,” said Emily Bryant-Álvarez and Saylor Pochan of the Surfrider Foundation NYC Chapter. “New Yorkers have already said no to this project, and Surfrider continues to firmly oppose it as well. We fought it before, and we will fight it again — for our beaches, our oceans, our future, our communities, and our climate.”
“Our 4,500 members are furious with Governor Hochul for her approval of the Williams NESE pipeline,” said Sara Gronim, co-leader of 350Brooklyn. “Hochul said she would prioritize affordability, but her actions speak louder than words since the cost of this multi-billion dollar project will fall squarely on National Grid’s customers. She also said she cared about the law, but this project would violate laws protecting us from pollution and the NYS mandate to transition from fracked gas to renewable energy. And finally, she said she cares about energy reliability — but we already have plenty of fracked gas, and there will be even less demand for it in the future. How dare Governor Hochul betray ordinary New Yorkers and support wealthy utilities and investors instead!”
“As a parent, I’m outraged that Governor Hochul is siding with the Trump administration over working families by approving the Williams NESE pipeline,” said Samantha Gore, member of Climate Families NYC. “Her decision will raise rates on working parents, forcing us to pay three billion dollars to build a pipeline we don’t want, for gas we don’t need. Williams NESE will also destroy our public beaches, poison our kids, decimate marine life, and worsen the climate crisis. Our children are counting on our elected officials to act in their best interest. Right now, that means investing in clean, renewable energy and standing up to Trump. Instead, Hochul is caving to the administration at the expense of kids’ health and their futures. Because of Kathy Hochul, this may be the last summer that New York City families like mine can enjoy the Rockaway public beaches. New York families will remember this decision and hold her accountable.”
“It is deeply suspicious that under Governor Hochul’s leadership, the DEC applied the same legal requirements that led to three prior denials and suddenly approved the same harmful Williams NESE proposal,” said Kim Fraczek, Director of Sane Energy Project. “This isn’t just a reversal; it dismisses the real struggles New Yorkers face, shows she won’t stand up to Trump, and ignores the law designed to protect our communities. National Grid’s own filings show no benefit to customers, only higher bills, so AI data centers can treat our state like a casino, leaving working families that she was elected to serve, with more debt and risk.”
“The No North Brooklyn Pipeline Alliance stands firmly against the Williams pipeline being constructed,” said Margot Spindelman of the No North Brooklyn Pipeline Alliance. “We are dismayed that Governor Hochul has not used her power to say no to corporations seeking to profit by attacking our communities. We cannot afford another increase to our utility bills. It has been proven that we do not need more gas. What we need is a governor who will protect our climate, our health, and our bottom lines. This is a betrayal of New Yorkers by Governor Hochul. We will not pay to be poisoned.”
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