OPINION: Gov. Hochul, DEC Ignores Staten Islanders, New Yorkers, NY Elected Officials’ Real Concerns: Hudson River Pipeline NESE Project Approved By Gov. Hochul, NYS DEC Over Public Backlash
Editor’s note: As mentioned in our previous article, the Borough President and many local politicians and community members were hoping that the DEC would do what it did last time and reject the proposal. There were no substantial changes of note between the project that was denied in 2020 and the project that has now been green-lighted by the DEC. The Hudson River WAS one of the most polluted rivers in the country, and now, after decades of efforts by environmental groups and individual stewardship, the river boasts sightings of Humpback whales, dolphines, and other animals that require clean water in which to swim. Should this project proceed, as the borough president mentions in his remarks, it is likely to disturb the pollutants that are sequestered in the floor of the riverbed, along with the real dangers that a natural gas pipeline can bring, including leaks, explosions, and environmental destruction of multiple kinds. This might bring his childhood experiences (of swimming in the river and coming out coated in black tar) once again the reality. Islanders who want to see their river preserved can make their voices heard by joining this protest, as well as by calling the governor’s and assemblymember’s offices of your own representatives, and letting your concerns be known.
According to FWW:
The Williams NESE pipeline — revived earlier this year by the Trump administration’s FERC and under review by Governor Hochul’s DEC — would carve a new gas line through New York Harbor, stirring up toxic sediments containing lead and arsenic, threatening marine life, and locking New York into decades of new fossil-fuel dependence. The project would also raise gas bills and undercut New York’s nation-leading climate law.
State regulators have now issued a decision to approve the project, and Gov. Hochul has also approved it.
UPDATE: DEC Issues Approval For Permits Needed For This Project, Making Gov. Hochul The Final Determinant Of Its Fate
DEC Statement on Water Quality Certification for Proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement Pipeline Project
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the agency’s approval of required permits, including a Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification, for the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project. The full decision is outlined in a letter issued today to Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC.
DEC subjects all applications for environmental permits to an extensive and transparent review process to ensure the protection of public health and the environment. DEC’s review process for interstate natural gas pipeline applications is project-specific, varying by the type and scope of the application, and is guided by stringent State and federal environmental laws and regulations.
Reviews are limited to the scope of the State’s regulatory authority. They include any applicable federal requirements, which in the case of NESE, includes changes since 2020, such as the 2023 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act rulemaking and guidance executed after DEC’s 2020 review of the NESE Water Quality Certification application; all public comments; availability of project-specific conditions consistent with State requirements to avoid or significantly minimize potential project impacts; other recently constructed projects that required in-water construction activities; and substantive revisions to ecological considerations, such as a correction to the hard clam density that was considered in the 2020 application.
DEC’s comprehensive review of the May 2025 NESE application materials also included supporting materials provided by the applicant, an extended public comment period, and more than 17,000 new public comments received on the project.
The letter, responsiveness summary to public comments, information about the Water Quality Certification, and other supporting materials are available on DEC’s website: https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/facilities-in-your-neighborhood/northeast-supply-enhancement-project-nese.
DEC is requiring a range of environmentally protective conditions in the NESE Water Quality Certification that include:
- comprehensive oversight: DEC is requiring on-site, independent, third-party monitors that will directly oversee project implementation to ensure compliance. All reporting and monitoring will be conducted in accordance with DEC-approved plans;
- minimizing and mitigating impacts to critical resources, including Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon, winter flounder, and hard clams; construction work windows to avoid sediment disturbance during critical times of year to protect the life cycles of hard clams and minimize impacts to aquatic species; requiring the project developer to implement mitigation for all unavoidable impacts, which is estimated to cost approximately $23.5 million, pending DEC’s ongoing assessment; and
- preventing contaminants from contravening water quality in the Raritan and Lower New York bays: the project developer must implement a Dredge Management Plan that limits contaminants from being suspended in the water column and details adaptive management techniques.
DEC is committed to closely monitoring the project’s construction and adherence to all permit conditions to ensure the full protection of New York’s waterways.
In addition, the Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC today withdrew its application for permits, including the required Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification, for the proposed Constitution pipeline project. The withdrawal follows DEC’s legally required comprehensive evaluation of the application materials and DEC’s issuance of three Notices of Incomplete Application for insufficient information. Constitution also failed to take action on the federal level at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the lead agency for interstate pipelines. DEC’s July 2, August 26, and September 30, 2025, notices detailed the requirements necessary to meet the State’s thresholds for an application to be determined complete for public review and comment. The Constitution Pipeline Company did not fulfill these repeated information requests and, on November 7, 2025, formally withdrew the application from further consideration. The withdrawal notice is available here.
Zombie pipeline protest. Image Credit – FWW
Governor Hochul Approves Trump’s Pipeline, Despite Harm to New York Waterways and Higher Costs for Families
Hochul administration approves climate-damaging fracked gas pipeline in NY harbor, which also threatens to saddle New Yorkers with higher bills
New York, NY — Governor Kathy Hochul’s 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’s water quality standards. The project is also expected to saddle National Grid customers with $3.2 billion in costs over 15 years. The pipeline — which President Trump personally pressured Hochul to approve — has drawn overwhelming opposition from communities concerned about threats to local waters, costs, and climate impacts.
More than 50,000 public comments, a letter from ten Democratic members of Congress including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a statement from 130 New York elected officials all condemned the project.
Hochul’s 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’s DEC rushed the project’s approval through an abbreviated review with no public hearings.
“This decision is a betrayal of New Yorkers,” said Laura Shindell, New York State Director at Food & Water Watch. “In granting the certification for this pipeline, Governor Hochul has not only sided with Trump, she’s fast-tracked his agenda. Hochul has shown New Yorkers she’d prefer to do Trump’s dirty work rather than protect our waterways from pollution. She hasn’t kept her promises to fight against skyrocketing energy bills or the climate crisis. But New Yorkers will fight Hochul’s dirty pipeline every step of the way — alongside our communities — until it is stopped for good.”
Below is the press release from FWW back in August, featuring a detailed letter to Gov. Hochul outlining the concerns of residents and 130 elected officials who represent various parts of New York, including many of the areas that will be affected by this pipeline construction:
Arverne, NY — Dozens of residents and activists from New York Communities for Change, Food & Water Watch, Fridays for Future NYC and Climate Defenders joined local representatives Tuesday to release a letter from 130 New York elected officials calling on Governor Hochul to reject the proposed Williams NESE pipeline. Speakers warned the project, which would raise utility bills and threaten local waters, is moving forward without meaningful public input.
“So many of us in Rockaway had to evacuate when Hurricane Sandy hit and the flooding ruined our homes. Governor Hochul can’t let Trump get away with pushing the dirty, expensive Williams pipeline, which would mean higher utility bills and a higher likelihood of my home getting hit by more flooding,” said Arlene Phipps, Rockaway resident and New York Communities for Change member. “My bills are already too high and my insurance keeps going up due to the flooding. It’s time for the governor to step up to Trump and look out for people like me who want to just afford to live here instead of Big Oil billionaires who make a profit sinking our homes.”
“Donald Trump wants to force New Yorkers into dirty, dangerous fracked gas pipelines that drive up our bills and put our communities at risk,” said New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. “The Williams NESE pipeline threatens our water, our beaches, and our climate — and it’s already been rejected for good reason. Governor Hochul should reject this project once and for all and put the people of New York ahead of fossil fuel interests.”
Banner Image: Zombie pipeline protest. Image Credit – FWW
Citizen Action Of New York
Citizen Action of New York is a grassroots membership organization taking on big issues that are at the center of transforming society by: Ensuring our children have a quality public education no matter their zip code Ending our current system of mass incarceration and establishing a new system of justice Ensuring quality affordable housing for all Fighting for guaranteed quality, affordable health care Taking big money out of politics by creating a fair elections system Aiming to dismantle the historic racist system by promoting racial justice Striving for a more progressive tax system to begin to end the runaway inequality in our state