ICYMI: Brian Lehrer Show Shines Spotlight on Gov Hochul Fast-Tracking Dangerous Pipelines at Trump's Direction

NEW YORK, NY (08/28/2025) (readMedia)-- This week, The Brian Lehrer Show aired a segment about how Governor Hochul is quietly caving to Trump by reviving two gas pipelines he wants, despite the State previously denying them given water quality impacts. During the segment, New York State Senator Liz Krueger and the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) Rich Schrader highlighted how the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE) and Constitution pipelines would drive up energy bills for everyday families, lock the State into decades of unnecessary fossil fuel spending, and expose New Yorkers to serious health risks.

Listen to the full segment and read the transcript here.

Asked whether anything has changed since the pipelines were rejected in 2018 and 2020, Senator Krueger said, "Absolutely nothing from the arguments about why New York State turned them down... We're talking about pipelines that will go through hundreds of towns and cities, exposing everyday people to new leaky gas pipes, threatening more than 250 waterways throughout the state. Guess what? It will probably cost us as the ratepayers over $200 million per year in increased energy bills over the next 15 years, because somebody is going to have to pay the new costs for this additional gas running through our city and the entire state of New York... New York State should again reject these pipelines for the exact same reasons we rejected them multiple years."

During the show, Schrader reiterated how the Governor is putting politics before her constituents, stating, "This is political. These two pipelines shouldn't even be on the table. They've been rejected over and over and over again... I think we've learned in the six months, at least, Americans have learned you don't cut a deal with Donald Trump... Any deal here being cut, he'll come back for more. It's a bad deal for New Yorkers."

In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that the pipeline company behind the long-denied Constitution Pipeline and the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipelines is attempting to revive the projects following discussions between Trump and Governor Hochul talks. After a meeting between Governor Hochul and the Trump administration, the White House claimed that Hochul had "caved" on the pipelines in exchange for the President allowing a wind project in New York State to continue. Hochul has hardly denied that a deal was made, and instead committed to advancing projects within the administration.

Despite widespread opposition, including not just from everyday New Yorkers but even Hochul's own allies in Congress, the Governor is moving full speed ahead to appease Trump before New Yorkers can stop her.

Background

Since being revived, neither application has changed, meaning both the NESE and Constitution pipelines still pose the exact same environmental threats to New York since they were first denied under section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act. 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.

Governor Hochul's decision to fast-track the decision-making process for NESE (and consider the same rushed process for Constitution once its application is complete) is putting her at odds with the vast majority of New Yorkers - including many of her own allies - who oppose Trump's pipelines. Earlier this 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 environmental concerns with the proposed NESE pipeline and urging her to extend the public comment period.

In July, hundreds of residents and advocates rallied with elected officials in Brooklyn to demand the Governor reject these proposals, and just this month more than 130 state lawmakers - including her own Lieutenant Governor - signed a letter to Governor Hochul urging her to reject these pipelines. Advocates also joined elected officials outside the Governor's office to deliver more than 10,000 new public comments (in addition to 40,000 that have already been submitted to the State) demanding she listen to her constituents and reject these costly, dangerous pipelines.