Hochul administration approves climate-damaging fracked gas pipeline in NY harbor, which also threatens to saddle New Yorkers with higher bills<\/p>\n
New York, NY<\/strong> \u2014 Governor Kathy Hochul\u2019s 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\u2019s water quality standards. The project is also expected to saddle National Grid customers with $3.2 billion in costs over 15 years. The pipeline \u2014 which President Trump personally pressured Hochul to approve \u2014 has drawn overwhelming opposition from communities concerned about threats to local waters, costs, and climate impacts.<\/p>\n More than 50,000 public comments, a letter<\/a> 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<\/a> all condemned the project.<\/p>\n Hochul\u2019s 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\u2019s DEC rushed the project\u2019s approval through an abbreviated review with no public hearings.<\/p>\n \u201cThis decision is a betrayal of New Yorkers,\u201d said Laura Shindell, New York State Director at Food & Water Watch<\/strong>. \u201cIn granting the certification for this pipeline, Governor Hochul has not only sided with Trump, she\u2019s fast-tracked his agenda. Hochul has shown New Yorkers she\u2019d prefer to do Trump\u2019s dirty work rather than protect our waterways from pollution. She hasn\u2019t kept her promises to fight against skyrocketing energy bills or the climate crisis. But New Yorkers will fight Hochul\u2019s dirty pipeline every step of the way \u2014 alongside our communities \u2014 until it is stopped for good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Hochul should know that New Yorkers can\u2019t afford the approval of more fracked gas pipelines like Williams\u2019 NESE project. We can\u2019t afford it in our utility bills, we can\u2019t afford it in more climate pollution, and we can\u2019t 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 \u2013 at the expense of the public,\u201d said Eric Wood, Senior Environmental Program Coordinator for NYPIRG, the New York Public Interest Research Group.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Hochul\u2019s 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,\u201d said Emily Bryant-\u00c1lvarez and Saylor Pochan of the Surfrider Foundation NYC Chapter.<\/strong> \u201cNew 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 \u2014 for our beaches, our oceans, our future, our communities, and our climate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur 4,500 members are furious with Governor Hochul for her approval of the Williams NESE pipeline,\u201d said Sara Gronim, co-leader of 350Brooklyn.<\/strong> \u201cHochul 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\u2019s 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 \u2014 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!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs a parent, I\u2019m outraged that Governor Hochul is siding with the Trump administration over working families by approving the Williams NESE pipeline,\u201d said Samantha Gore, member of Climate Families NYC.<\/strong> \u201cHer decision will raise rates on working parents, forcing us to pay three billion dollars to build a pipeline we don\u2019t want, for gas we don\u2019t 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\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is deeply suspicious that under Governor Hochul\u2019s leadership, the DEC applied the same legal requirements that led to three prior denials and suddenly approved the same harmful Williams NESE proposal,\u201d said Kim Fraczek, Director of Sane Energy Project.<\/strong> \u201cThis isn\u2019t just a reversal; it dismisses the real struggles New Yorkers face, shows she won\u2019t stand up to Trump, and ignores the law designed to protect our communities. National Grid\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe No North Brooklyn Pipeline Alliance stands firmly against the Williams pipeline being constructed,\u201d said Margot Spindelman of the No North Brooklyn Pipeline Alliance.<\/strong> \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Story continues after this message<\/p>\n Stay Get the latest on food, water and climate issues delivered
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