Elected officials, community organizations and concerned New Yorkers rallied against previously denied fracked gas pipeline proposals that Trump is now pressuring Hochul to revive<\/p>\n
New York, NY (August 9, 2025) \u2014<\/strong> More than 500 New Yorkers marched across the Brooklyn Bridge calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to reject three fracked gas pipelines \u2014 including two previously denied by the state: the Williams NESE and Constitution projects. The protest, organized by more than 20 climate and environmental groups, featured remarks from Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado.<\/p>\n The demonstration comes amid rapidly growing public <\/a>concern<\/a> that Hochul is caving to Trump\u2019s demands that she reverse New York state\u2019s previous decisions denying these projects permits. So far, Hochul has fast-tracked a truncated permitting process for the NESE project, with limited public comment and no hearings. A third proposal \u2014 Enbridge\u2019s Project Maple pipeline expansion \u2014 is also under consideration.<\/p>\n These projects will threaten clean water, endanger frontline communities, and violate New York\u2019s climate law. New gas pipelines also fly in the face of scientific consensus: phasing out fossil fuels is necessary to prevent increasingly catastrophic climate disasters. The Williams NESE project alone would increase climate-heating pollution annually by an estimated 8 million tons<\/a>.<\/p>\n Massive pipeline projects will also lead to major increases in New Yorker\u2019s utility bills. According to National Grid itself \u2014 Williams\u2019 utility partner on the NESE project \u2014 utility bills would rise by 3.5%<\/a> from just that project alone, if it is approved. That would pile an additional $150 a year onto already unaffordable utility bills, with National Grid planning yet another rate hike proposal in early 2026. Overbuilt gas infrastructure has already driven an estimated $179 billion<\/a> in unnecessary investment nationwide, and critics say these pipelines would leave New Yorkers stuck with the bill for dangerous fossil fuel assets that will soon become obsolete.<\/p>\n \u201cThese pipelines endanger the environment and New Yorkers,\u201d said New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado<\/strong>. \u201cThey also fly in the face of New York\u2019s nation-leading climate law, while driving up utility bills, all to serve the interests of fossil fuel executives. Governor Hochul should not be working in lockstep with Donald Trump to revive them \u2014 she should be standing with New Yorkers to stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew York\u2019s climate laws protect our planet\u2019s future, our communities\u2019 health, and our local economy,\u201d said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander<\/strong>. \u201cState leaders should not let backroom deals with the Trump administration undermine critical science-based regulations. The DEC must deny all permits for the costly, risky NESE pipeline \u2014 a project completely misaligned with our energy goals \u2014 and instead commit to a just transition for every New Yorker.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew Yorkers have already defeated these dangerous pipelines once \u2014 and we\u2019re not about to let them come back under Trump\u2019s orders,\u201d said Laura Shindell, New York State Director at Food & Water Watch<\/strong>. \u201cReviving the NESE and Constitution projects would be a massive handout to corporate polluters and a betrayal of New York\u2019s climate promises. These pipelines threaten our water, our communities, and our wallets. Governor Hochul needs to stand up to Trump, stand with everyday New Yorkers, and slam the door shut on these expensive, unnecessary fossil fuel projects.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew York families oppose these costly, dangerous gas pipelines,\u201d said Liat Olenick, lead organizer with Climate Families NYC<\/strong>.\u201cThe pipelines will worsen the climate crisis, poison our air and water and threaten the health of our children, while also increasing costs for working parents. Families want Governor Hochul to stand up to Trump and fight for kids, not polluters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not the future New Yorkers are working towards,\u201d said Sara Gronim, co-leader of 350Brooklyn<\/strong>. \u201cWe want a New York that is affordable, not one that lines the pockets of utility executives and fossil fuel barons. Why would we want to pay for the dirty, expensive energy of past centuries? We want a safe, healthy New York, powered by the full array of renewable energy sources. We have the know-how to go forward and that\u2019s where we want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNational Grid is running another scam, cooking the books on gas demand to push costly, dirty pipelines like the Williams NESE project,\u201d said Kim Fraczek, Director of Sane Energy Project<\/strong>. \u201cGovernor Hochul already gave them the green light to expand the aging Iroquois pipeline, showing a disturbing willingness to ignore inflated data and side with polluters over the people. If she does it again, New Yorkers in NYC and Long Island will be stuck footing the bill for a pipeline we don\u2019t need, one that only serves corporate profits and AI data centers. We know renewable energy is cheaper, safer, and aligned with our climate laws. This isn\u2019t climate leadership, it\u2019s a betrayal of climate justice and a fair, affordable energy future.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Hochul has made a deal with Trump. By fastracking, the previously blocked Williams-NESE fracked gas pipeline, Governor Hochul is trading away our generation\u2019s future, trading away any semblance of climate action, and trading away our city\u2019s air and water,\u201d said Keanu Arpels-Josiah, 20, Lead Organizer with Fridays For Future NYC.<\/strong> \u201cThe pipeline proposal is a proposal to poison our communities and a proposal to destroy our future.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMothers Out Front members in New York are speaking out because these dangerous gas pipelines put our children\u2019s health and future at risk,\u201d said Melissa Thomas, Senior Organizer at Mothers Out Front<\/strong>. \u201cParents want clean air, safe water, and a livable climate \u2014 not higher bills and decades more dependence on fossil fuels. Governor Hochul should reject these projects and choose a future powered by clean, affordable energy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe science was clear when the NYS Department of Conservation rejected permits for these pipeline projects years ago, and it is still clear: Air contamination, risks to wetlands and waterways, leaks, and explosions follow fracked gas pipelines wherever they go,\u201d said Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., co-founder of Concerned Health Professionals of New York<\/strong>. \u201cNew York State\u2019s health professionals stand steadfastly against new fracked gas pipelines and the toxic compressor stations that service them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI already pay way too much in utilities, and as a Rockaways resident, I\u2019ve seen the damage that climate change did when hurricane Sandy hit and I had to evacuate my home. Hochul should stand up to Trump, not get in bed with him for this super-polluting ripoff,\u201d said Janet Taylor, Rockaways resident and New York Communities for Change member<\/strong>. \u201cThe NESE pipeline would terminate in the Rockaways, where neighborhood residents are organizing to once again get the state to deny the project permits.\u201d<\/p>\n Story continues after this message<\/p>\n Stay Get the latest on food, water and climate issues delivered
Informed!<\/p>\n
to your inbox.<\/p>\n