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“Short-term mistakes have long-term consequences. Once built, pipelines operate for decades, undermining renewable investments and perpetuating environmental injustice.”
New York is once again under siege from the fossil fuel industry, and this time, they’ve got President Donald Trump and his enforcer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin, on board.
Two fracked gas pipelines, the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) and Constitution projects, have resurfaced after being repeatedly shot down by state regulators—and NESE is being rushed through the permitting process. Our state must reject these projects once again, and draw a clear line: no new gas pipelines in New York.
Both pipelines were blocked by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for good reason: they endanger our water quality, violate our climate mandates, and work against our clean air goals. But emboldened by the Trump administration, corporate proponents have brought the projects back and are trying to make an end run around the law. Unless Gov. Kathy Hochul stands up for New Yorkers’ rights and pocketbooks, we’ll have more expensive, polluting energy boondoggles running through our state.
Every new pipeline locks New York into a fossil-fuel future that we cannot afford. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Harmful air pollution, irreparable damage to our water resources, a boost in harmful emissions as the climate crisis escalates—these all come with a new pipeline. Pipelines would ratchet up greenhouse gas emissions and entrench fracked‑gas infrastructure for decades, making it even harder for New York to meet the emissions reduction goals required by law under the 2019 Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (CLCPA).
They would also be environmentally ruinous. The Constitution project would impact at least 250 New York waterways and wetlands, spanning 85 trout streams and nearly 500 acres of forest. Courts agreed the state’s denial was based on sound science. NESE, similarly, was denied in 2020 based in part on its underwater impact in New York Harbor.
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The governor says we need to explore all energy sources in the short term to ensure energy reliability. “All of the above” makes for a good soundbite, but it’s lousy policy. We need to focus on those energy sources that are cost-effective, advance our climate goals, and prepare us for the future.
Short-term mistakes have long-term consequences. Once built, pipelines operate for decades, undermining renewable investments and perpetuating environmental injustice. And then, when clean energy eventually becomes the standard, as it will, they will be left to rot in communities that already bear the brunt of misguided energy policy.
And it’s utility customers who will pay. National Grid estimates that its customers in New York City and Long Island will see a 3.5 percent increase in costs to pay for construction of NESE. Fossil fuel development is not only dirty, it’s economically indefensible.
Already more than 120 organizations are on record demanding that the governor reject any revival of NESE. Hundreds of Environmental Advocates NY’s own members have submitted comments. They say our climate and public health needs, not the interests of fossil fuel lobbyists, must drive energy policy.
There are far cleaner, cheaper, and faster ways to create more energy: public and private wind and solar build‑outs, geothermal, efficiency upgrades. That’s what New York’s renewable mandates demand, not doubling down on fossil infrastructure that locks in energy costs and carbon emissions for generations.
To Gov. Hochul and Albany leaders: honor our climate commitments under the CLCPA, which mandates emissions reductions, and reflects our determination to protect our rights, communities, and climate future. Don’t cave to federal pressure or industry lobbying. Don’t gamble with clean water, public health, or climate leadership. Don’t ignore the communities who have to live with dirty air and water.
And when it comes to projects like NESE and Constitution, just say no. Instead, invest in the energy solutions of the future that New Yorkers need and deserve. It’s long past time to put people ahead of fossil fuels.
Katherine Nadeau is deputy executive director of policy and programs at Environmental Advocates NY.
