The Trump administration will celebrate the groundbreaking of a controversial new natural gas pipeline in New York City on Tuesday — with the project set to run off the coast of the city to boost the region’s energy supply.
President Trump strongly backs the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline and used his influence to persuade Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to approve the permits allowing the project to proceed, despite fierce opposition from anti-fossil fuel environmentalists.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Environmental Protection Secretary Lee Zeldin will attend the event at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field, hosted by Williams Companies, the firm managing the construction.
Burgum claimed China outpaced America’s electricity production because past administrations put US “energy and national security at risk by burying America’s Balance Sheet under red tape.”
“Under President Donald J. Trump, we’re reversing course with projects like the NESE pipeline to unleash American Energy Dominance, lower costs for American consumers, and restore a strong, reliable grid, Burgum said.
He claimed the project would spur $1.8 billion in economic development and lower electricity bills by $6 billion over 15 years.
The pipeline — which would extend from Pennsylvania through New Jersey and end on Staten Island and the Rockaways — had been stalled for years after state regulators denied permits over water quality concerns.
But the state restarted the approval process for the natural gas project after an Oval Office meeting between Hochul and Trump regarding congestion pricing.
Federal officials said the NESE pipeline project will boost reliability during peak winter demand and extreme weather.
Natural gas demand surged by 49% since 2013 while pipeline capacity increased by only 26% and storage capacity by just 2%, officials said.
The NESE Project is designed to provide 400,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas to serve existing National Grid customers in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island — equivalent to the energy needs of 2.3 million homes.
Williams’ NESE project expands the existing Transco natural gas pipeline system, which already serves parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
The pipeline will be installed at a minimum of 4 feet below the sea floor through a combination of jet trenching, clamshell dredging, backfilling, and horizontal directional drilling.
Hochul approved the state permits for the project last November.
“We are facing war against clean energy from Washington Republicans, including our New York delegation, which is why we have adopted an all-of-the-above approach that includes a continued commitment to renewables and nuclear power to ensure grid reliability and affordability,” she said in a statement at the time.
“I am comfortable that in approving the permits, including a water quality certification, for the NESE application, the DEC did just that.”
EPA Secretary Zeldin, a former Long Island congressman, said the groundbreaking marks a massive milestone and will help meet “the growing energy demand of this region.”
“I, like so many New Yorkers, am extremely grateful for President Trump’s leadership, along with his National Energy Dominance Council, for getting the permits necessary to allow this project to advance,” Zeldin said. “We celebrate this incredible accomplishment and will continue pursuing every way possible to make life more affordable for all Americans.”
Zeldin said next on the priority list is getting the Constitution Pipeline approved “to allow many New England residents to tap into the same abundant resources, especially during brutally cold winter months.”
The NY DEC nixed the project from running through upstate.
“Albany Democrats need to stop blocking the jobs, resources, and lower energy costs that will come with this vital project,” he said.
