After years of advocacy from groups including Food & Water Watch, state regulators denied key permits to these projects, bringing them to a halt. Williams stopped pursuing<\/a> NESE and Constitution in 2020 and 2024, respectively.<\/p>\n But now, Governor Kathy Hochul is betraying those victories to push more expensive, dirty fossil energy in our state. Previously committed against pipeline development, she now seems to be working with the Trump administration<\/a> in a deal to fast-track pipelines and dodge community input. In light of the door held open by Hochul and Trump, Williams is trying to revive both projects<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Williams\u2019 NESE and Constitution Pipelines Violate New York\u2019s Climate Law<\/p>\n In supporting these planet-warming projects, Hochul is directly contradicting New York\u2019s 2019 Climate Law. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA)<\/a> mandates that 100% of electricity generation be carbon-free by 2040 and that the state become entirely carbon neutral by 2050.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition, a 2022 extension to the CLCPA, known as the Scoping Plan<\/a>, made recommendations on how New York can meet the Climate Act\u2019s goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including reaching 70% renewable electricity by 2030.<\/p>\n The construction of fracked gas pipelines that last many decades is entirely at odds with the state\u2019s own law. As New York \u2014 and the rest of the world \u2014 pushes toward a 100% renewable future, these pipelines will become stranded assets built on the ratepayer\u2019s dime.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hochul must stay committed to our goals of lowering greenhouse gas emissions with the goal of no longer relying on the fossil fuel industry. This is important not just for New Yorkers, but for the people across the country facing the brunt of wildfires, heatwaves, water scarcity, flooding, and extreme weather events. We can\u2019t afford to allow more planet-warming fossil fuel projects to break ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Pipelines Threaten New York\u2019s Climate Progress<\/p>\n Despite an overwhelming<\/a> number of U.S. elected officials showing cognitive dissonance around climate change, the CLCPA marked New York as ahead of the curve in climate progress. Now, 24 states (plus the District of Columbia) have implemented climate action<\/a> goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, Vermont\u2019s Global Warming Solutions Act<\/a> (2020) requires emissions reductions, and its Climate Superfund Act<\/a> makes fossil fuel producers financially liable for global greenhouse gas emission rates.<\/p>\n By approving these pipelines, Hochul would be turning her back on progress that New Yorkers fought so hard to gain and that contributed to progress nationwide. <\/p>\n New York must stay committed to our goals of lowering greenhouse gas emissions and moving away from the fossil fuel industry \u2014 not just for the people that live here, but also for the people across the country already facing the brunt of wildfires, heatwaves, water scarcity, flooding, and extreme weather events.<\/p>\n Fracking Infrastructure Will Cost Us More than a Clean Energy Future<\/p>\n While reaching 100% renewable electricity will be comparable or cheaper<\/a> than the fossil fuel status quo, fracked gas only raises our power bills. One main reason: a regulatory system that allows gas companies to obtain as much profit as possible by building unnecessary infrastructure and keeping us hooked on gas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite industry claims of affordability, electricity prices have exploded 74%<\/a> in the last 20 years, alongside growing U.S. gas consumption.<\/p>\n There are several contributing factors to this. Under U.S. law, pipeline companies are allowed to profit by building more expensive pipelines. Additionally, utilities don\u2019t buy the gas itself; they sign decades-long \u201cfirm capacity\u201d contracts, which allow them access to a maximum level of gas, and then pass the costs to us, the ratepayers. This means ratepayers may pay for gas they don\u2019t even use. And building all this gas infrastructure locks us into the volatile gas market.<\/p>\n To add insult to injury, county- or municipal-level Industrial Development Authorities<\/a> often strike deals with gas companies, granting them property tax exemptions in exchange for promised jobs. In the end, the jobs created are few, and the local economy suffers from the loss of tax revenue for schools and other public services.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) functions as a rubber stamp for pipeline companies. It rejected only two<\/a> out of more than 400 proposals from 1999 to 2019. FERC routinely concedes to the wishes of private companies and paves the way for more unnecessary pipelines to be built. Overbuilding has resulted in an estimated 38% more pipeline capacity and 27% more storage capacity than we need, wasting $179 billion<\/a> in excess investment.<\/p>\n More Pipelines Double Down on Dangerous Fracking<\/p>\n Twenty years since the start of the fracking boom, we have overwhelming evidence<\/a> that fracked or \u201cnatural\u201d gas contaminates waterways, pollutes the air, and exacerbates the climate crisis. And while we helped lead the charge driving New York to ban fracking in 2014<\/a>, building pipelines like Constitution and NESE will mean more fracking for our neighboring states.<\/p>\n This will have real harms for those living near fracking operations. For example, one study found that Pennsylvania children living near fossil fuel infrastructure at a young age were two to three times more likely<\/a> to be diagnosed with leukemia compared to those who did not live near oil and gas developments.\u00a0<\/p>\n Public health experts are in agreement; there is a correlation<\/a> between fracking, with all its toxic pollutants, and health consequences. Residents living near fracked gas sites are more likely to develop cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and birth defects. Respiratory disorders, nervous system issues, and heart problems are some of the most notable complaints.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hochul Must Oppose All New York Pipelines<\/p>\n In addition to the Williams NESE and Constitution pipelines, Hochul can and must stop the expansion of the existing Algonquin pipeline<\/a> that runs through the lower Hudson Valley and delivers gas to Northeast states. The fossil fuel company Enbridge wants to increase the amount of fracked gas that runs through this line.<\/p>\n Due to the proliferation of renewable energy alternatives, gas companies like Enbridge are attempting to expand fracked gas infrastructure before it becomes harder to get permitted.\u00a0<\/p>\n Notably, the Algonquin pipeline sits within 1500 feet<\/a> of a decommissioned nuclear plant, compounding the dangers of leaks and explosions. Additionally, expanding the pipeline would contribute to worsening air quality<\/a>. For a county like Westchester, which already has a \u201cD\u201d rating from the American Lung Association, the compounded impacts could be severe.<\/p>\n Many New York municipalities have passed resolutions in opposition to the Algonquin pipeline expansion (formerly known as Project Maple), including the City of Peekskill, Hastings-on-Hudson, Village and Town of Ossining, Croton-on-Hudson, Cortlandt, Tarrytown, North Salem, and Rockland County.<\/p>\n Governor Hochul Cannot Bow to the Trump Administration \u2014 Hold Her Accountable!<\/p>\n On Saturday, August 9th, hundreds of New Yorkers marched<\/a> across the Brooklyn Bridge in opposition to the development of the Williams\u2019 NESE pipeline and its shortened comment period. Leading the rally was Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, who had this to say regarding New York\u2019s climate efforts:<\/p>\n \u201cTime and time again, why do we continue to put our communities at risk? I will tell you why \u2026 We have politicians like Governor Hochul who are more concerned with serving herself and power and self-preservation than with actually serving the public who gave her the power in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n With over 120 climate organizations<\/a> sending an official letter to Hochul\u2019s office and 130 elected officials<\/a> calling for Hochul to reject the pipelines, New Yorkers are calling on the Governor to do the right thing.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Trump wishes to expand the fossil fuel industry<\/a> and is interfering with state commitments to transition away from dirty gas to clean renewables. Trump\u2019s April 8th Executive Order, \u201cProtecting American Energy from State Overreach<\/a>,\u201d aims to limit states\u2019 autonomy in energy decisions and redirects funding toward environmentally harmful energy sources like oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power<\/a>, all of which have devastating consequences for local residents.<\/p>\n Governor Hochul has an opportunity here. She can stand up to the Trump administration and defend New Yorkers against dirty energy companies seeking to profit at the expense of ratepayers. But if she makes the wrong choice, New Yorkers will bear the long-term consequences of corporate greed.<\/p>\n New Yorkers, send a message to Hochul: NO Fracked Gas Pipelines!<\/strong><\/p>\n Rikki Wilhelm, MSW (he\/they)<\/strong> is an intern at Food and Water Watch with a focus on community organizing, digital strategy, and communications. He comes from a fan activist background and uses elements of joyful organizing to promote sustainability for social movements. They center liberation for many communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, immigrant, and more.<\/p>\n Enjoyed this article?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-1-1024x768.png\")
Food & Water Watch joins Croton residents, including members of Mother\u2019s Out Front and Croton 100, at a rally outside Croton town hall advocating for the passage of a resolution against the Algonquin Pipeline expansion, formerly dubbed \u201cProject Maple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-1024x768.png\")
Food and Water Watch, New York Communities For Change, and hundreds of New Yorkers march across the Brooklyn Bridge to oppose fracked gas pipelines in New York.<\/p>\n