A pipeline company revives plans to build two natural gas pipelines in the state of New York, a large reversal that comes down to a bet that the Trump administration states will be able to sign for energy projects.
New York had both pipelines, called Constitution and Northeast Supply Enhancement, about environmental problems. But the Trump administration has made it clear that it wants more oil and gas infrastructure, also in the northeast, where pipelines had become so difficult to build that companies had given up everything but they had given up.
The decision of the pipeline activities, Williams Companies, to formally restart the efforts to build the pipelines, comes a week after the Trump administration withdrew his opposition To a wind energy project, Empire Wind, off the coast of Long Island, after weeks of lobbying by Gov. Kathy Hochul from New York.
As part of the discussions about let Empire go ahead, Mrs. Hochul said she would work with the Trump administration About new energy projects that comply with the state law, although they did not explicitly mention pipelines. But Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, Later posted on X That Mrs. Hochul had an “willingness to move forward to critical pipeline capacity.”
The Constitut Pipeline is designed to transport gas on more than 100 miles from Noordoost -Pennsylvania to Albany. The less well -known and shorter project for improving the northeast would largely be flooded, from New Jersey to New York City.
Williams, based in Tulsa, Okla., On Thursday, it was in conversation with government officials about both projects and had asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to repair a permit for improving the northeast delivery.
The company has chased both projects to officials of New York In fact, she blocked By refusing the permits of water quality. In a statement it described the projects as “essential to tackle continuing natural gas provision restrictions in the northeast, limitations that have led to higher energy costs for consumers and an increased dependence on fuels with a higher emission such as fuel oil.”
Paul Demichele, a spokesperson for Mrs. Hochul, said that her administration “was dedicated to improving reliability and reducing the costs for New Yorkers, and all applications are impartled to determine the possible impact and compliance with the state law.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The battle for gas pipelines from Pennsylvania – who is home to part of a productive natural gas field called the Marcellus – has been raging in New York and New England for years.
Since New York and New England have closed their coal -fired power stations over the past two decades, they have started to trust heavily on natural gas, which now supplies almost half of all electricity in both regions. Nevertheless costs and electricity costs in the northeast belong to the highest in the countryPartly because there are not enough pipelines to deliver fuel to the region.
The gas industry and some experts have argued that in more cheap gas from the abundant shaley fields of Pennsylvania would lower energy costs in New York and New England.
“When you enter the northeast, the ability of the states to block pipelines is quite chronic, especially on the New York City market,” Alan Armstrong, Chief Executive of Williams, said in an interview with Bloomberg In March. “I think what will solve that people are really upset about their utility accounts.”
A Recent Study S&P Global discovered that the expansion of pipelines could lower natural gas prices in the northeast by 20 to 30 percent. The effect would be greatest during the winter months, when demand is high because gas is used for heating.
Yet many democratic officials and environmental activists have strongly opposed new pipelines based on the fact that it would make extra natural gas more difficult to tackle global warming.
Some analysts have argued that the climate effects of new gas pipelines are complex. In the short term, the extra natural gas can help to reduce New England emissions by moving oil or liquid natural gas that generates more emissions per unit of energy. During a longer period, a large stock of cheap gas can, however, discourage companies and residents from switching to renewable energy or eliminating their houses.
In 2016 And 2020Andrew Cuomo, at the time the Governor of New York, blocked Williams’s attempts to build pipelines in the state by refusing water permits under the Clean Water Act, on the basis of the fact that the projects could pollute local waterways and increase the emissions of greenhouse gases.
For Mrs. Hochul, new projects that help the energy costs low are politically critical. She’s ready for Re -election next year and several rivals from both parties are explore rises her. Her Approval numbers are average Partly because voters are upset about the high costs of living. She concentrated a lot of her efforts during recent budget negotiations Tax breaks And Direct repayment checks To residents.
She also criticized Proposed rate increases From Consolidated Edison and the New York Power Authority. “Too many New Yorkers are already on the back of their energy bills and I will do everything to keep these astronomical costs under control,” said Mrs. Hochul in February.
Assemblageman Anna Kelles, a democrat from Ithaca, said on Thursday that allowing the two pipelines was not the right way to lower energy costs. She said the state should secure utility accounts and encourage more energy efficient ways to heat houses. Mrs. Hochul and her assistants must also have one program that would limit greenhouse gas emissions While he collects money for climate projects, Mrs. Kelles said.
“It is a bit unfair to criticize the status quo if we don’t invest in alternatives,” said Mrs. Kelles about Mrs. Hochul.
Even if Williams are confronted with less regulatory barriers, there is no guarantee that the pipelines will now be built. The company must stand in a row in front of its gas in a row to secure the financing for the projects, which could each cost around $ 1 billion.
The demand for natural gas is probably raised for years, especially because New York and other northeastern states have difficulty building offshore wind projects. But those states have also set aggressive goals to reduce the use of fossil fuels, and it is unclear whether enough companies want to sign 20-year contracts to buy pipe gas.
“The financing of these pipelines is expensive, and the big question is always, is the gas question real?” Said Christine Teakak, a senior director at Clearview Energy Partners, a research agency. “Even if we are in a completely different environment than we were five years ago, I wouldn’t call it SLAM -Dunk.”
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