Government Reform Groups Slam Hochul's Decision to Fast-Track Pipeline Deal with Trump

ALBANY, NY (10/01/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, as Governor Hochul continues to fast-track two major gas pipelines across New York, good government groups held a press conference slamming the rushed public process and demanding the Governor make public all comments submitted to the State related to the controversial Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline. Despite widespread opposition from Democratic members of Congress, state legislators and other elected officials over the lack of a transparent public process, Governor Hochul is advancing the plan in secret and ignoring concerns she struck a deal with the Trump administration to move forward. Food & Water Watch has submitted a FOIL request for those public comments.

Watch a recording of the event here.

"Governor Hochul is openly pressuring the same state agencies that rejected the NESE and Constitution pipelines to suddenly change their mind and approve them with barely any public review process. Nothing about these pipelines has changed since the last time the State carefully considered and rejected them - except the politics. The Governor should stop using New Yorkers as political pawns and commit to a transparent, deliberative process so everyday people can better understand how these dangerous and expensive pipelines will impact them," said Renee Vogelsang, New York Director of Frack Action.

Earlier this month, the Public Service Commission (PSC) endorsed the NESE pipeline after quietly adding the item to its meeting agenda just 8 days after the public comment period closed - despite receiving long and detailed comments raising objections from New York City and others. Unlike previous consideration of the pipelines, the state did not hold any public hearings on the pipelines - even after Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Hakeem Jeffries, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Nydia Velazquez sent a letter to Governor Hochul urging her to extend the public comment period and hold hearings. The Department of Environmental Conservation will still have to approve the project before it can move forward.

The PSC's decision - just 8 days after the public comment period closed - is just the latest move Governor Hochul's administration has taken since she met with President Trump in May and reportedly agreed to fast-track two long-dead pipeline proposals: the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE) pipeline, which would run through the New York Harbor and into Far Rockaway; and the Constitution pipeline, which would run across 125 miles of the Southern Tier and into the Albany area. The White House has since claimed Hochul "caved" on the pipelines in exchange for allowing a wind project in New York State to continue, while the Governor has hardly denied a deal and committed to working with Trump.

"New Yorkers deserve a robust public process that allows them to weigh in on any major project that would affect their lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, Governor Hochul is expediting the approval process for two major pipelines without sufficient public input and fueling concerns that she is doing so at the Trump administration's urging. We urge Governor Hochul and state regulators to ensure a transparent, public process to decide the fate of these pipelines that gives New Yorkers confidence their interests aren't being discarded in backroom deals," said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York.

"The world faces an existential crisis, one which demands aggressive action to eliminate reliance on fossil fuels. New York's leaders have known this and acted accordingly. Now, the Hochul Administration is planning a 180 degree turn, one that will waste ratepayer dollars and run counter to state law. And it is doing so while giving short shrift to public input. The Administration must 'go back to the drawing board,' restart this process, and do so in a way that maximizes public participation," said Blair Horner, NYPIRG Senior Policy Advisor.

Following the PSC's decision, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) published an analysis that criticized the State's rushed decision and claimed National Grid's stated need for the NESE pipeline is based on faulty information. The investigation stated that the PSC's "inadequate analysis of cost escalation, gas forecasts, and practical ways to solve the problem of gas system weatherization" were insufficient in approving National Grid's request, and that the PSC's approval "fails to adequately analyze the project's cost impact on ratepayers." Read the full analysis here.

Since the NESE pipeline proposal was resurrected this summer, state and local lawmakers across both parties - including many of Hochul's own allies - have repeatedly called on the Governor to slow down the rushed process and allow more public input. Last month, in a rare moment of criticism from Democratic Members of Congress, Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Hakeem Jeffries, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Nydia Velazquez signed a letter to Governor Hochul raising serious concerns with the proposed NESE pipeline, while U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island has similarly denounced the reported deal, calling it "extortion." Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado has repeatedly pressed Governor Hochul to reject the two pipeline proposals and stand up to Trump. Yesterday, 40 state lawmakers joined the growing number of lawmakers speaking against the Governor's proposal by sending a letter urging her to reject the pipeline.

Background

Neither the NESE or Constitution applications have been amended since they were repeatedly denied by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which means they both still pose the exact same environmental threats to New York. The Constitution pipeline would threaten more than 250 waterways throughout Upstate New York, endangering sensitive habitats and wildlife populations that depend on healthy ecosystems, while the Williams NESE pipeline would stir up toxic contaminants in the New York Harbor that harm critical fisheries and other wildlife habitats.

These pipelines would also force regular New Yorkers to pay billions to expand fossil fuel infrastructure that is increasingly unreliable and expensive to maintain. The Williams NESE pipeline alone will cost more than $1.3 billion, forcing ratepayers to pay $200 million every year for more than a decade on construction. While energy companies promise it will eventually decrease costs, National Grid estimates its New York City and Long Island customers would see a 3.5% increase in costs to pay for construction - adding to repeated rate hikes already making energy unaffordable for most New Yorkers. In addition to direct construction costs, the pipelines would also jeopardize hundreds of millions in local economic activity, tourism, fishing and other small businesses that rely on healthy local ecosystems.