New York, New Jersey Approve Key Permits for Trump-Backed Natural Gas Pipeline

The New York and New Jersey governors approved water quality permits for a proposed natural gas pipeline off the New York City coast, a major reversal for New York governor Kathy Hochul.

As Jon Campbell reports in Gothamist, “The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s about-face breathes new life into the once-moribund project known as the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline, a 25-mile conduit that would bring gas from Pennsylvania through central New Jersey and a 17-mile stretch in New York under the ocean floor near Staten Island and the Rockaways.”

Supporters of the project say it will lower energy costs and improve grid reliability. Days before the decision, President Trump once again threatened to pull federal approval for New York City’s congestion pricing scheme if the pipeline was not approved. 

“Still, the state admits there will be some environmental damage from the pipeline project,” Campbell adds. According to New York’s state environmental agency, “Construction is proposed in a manner that will minimize impairment of the best usages of the waters, but mitigation will be required for unavoidable impacts to marine resources.”

The project still needs air quality permits to move forward.