Michael Bastasch | Energy Editor | 1:07 PM 05/17/2019 | Energy
The northeastern U.S.’s largest supplier of natural gas stopped processing new customer applications in New York City and Long Island after the Cuomo administration blocked a major pipeline project.
The moratorium is the second to hit New Yorkers in 2019 as a result of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s opposition to natural gas pipelines needed to meet growing demand in the state and New England.
“We are not processing new applications for any new customers,” National Grid New York President John Bruckner said Thursday. “We’ll continue to receive requests for service, but we’re not processing them.”
New York officials rejected a water permit application for the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline project Thursday, claiming it would “result in water quality violations” as currently planned. (RELATED: Trump Strips High-Speed Rail Funds From California)
For many observers, the rejection wasn’t much of a surprise. Cuomo wants the state to adopt his version of the Green New Deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions and end fossil fuel use.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) smile after signing the Red Flag bill. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
The 24-mile pipeline would run from New Jersey to New York Bay through Raritan Bay. National Grid, a regional power and gas provider, said it would be forced to impose a moratorium if the pipeline isn’t approved.
The Trump administration has used Cuomo’s blocking of natural gas pipelines as a reason to expedite project approvals and re-examine state authority over water quality permits. Cuomo promised to fight any attempt by the White House to curtail state water permitting authority.
“New York is hurting the country because they’re not allowing us to get those pipelines through, and that’s why they’re paying so much for their heating and all of the things that energy and our energy produces,” Trump said after signing pipeline executive orders in April.
“So hopefully they can come on board and get in line with what’s happening,” Trump said.
Environmentalists cheered the state’s blocking of the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline.
“The state has made it clear that dangerous gas pipelines have no place in New York. This is a victory for clean water, marine life, communities and people’s health across the state,” Natural Resources Defense Council senior attorney Kim Ong told Politico.
“Along with our allies, we will continue to ensure this reckless project is shelved forever,” Ong said.
Cuomo’s administration rejected several major pipeline projects in recent years. New York’s opposition to pipelines is a major contributor to natural gas shortages in the Northeast, particularly during winter.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference about Amazon’s headquarters expansion to Long Island City in the Queens borough of New York City, in New York, U.S., November 13, 2018. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon.
But natural gas shortages aren’t just relegated to winters anymore.
In March, utility Consolidated Edison put a moratorium on new natural gas hookups across parts of Westchester County. Local officials worry the moratorium will hurt the economy and raise energy prices.
However, Bruckner said he’s “confident they’ll be able to provide information to mitigate” the state’s concerns. New York allowed Williams Co., the company building the pipeline, to resubmit its application.
Until then, National Grid warned larger customers, like businesses and industrial facilities, they may not receive natural gas on extremely cold days.
I agree with Cuomo.
All that is needed is to ramp up production and pipelines for Unicorn dust.
A clean green and unlimited energy supply.
Rasa,
like Como you show illiterate ignorance .
I think Rasa’s post was sarcastic.
I think George has a car that runs on unicorn dust 😉
What’s needed is the installation of Valves on all interstate Gas Pipelines between Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Shutoff the valves and let the 6 stranded cold states put pressure on NY to cave in. Help, once NY, NY gets cold and places pressure on Albany, Cuomo might wise up.
What? That was sarcasm? Unicorn dust isn’t real?
I’m afraid it’s not. But even if it was, I doubt they would let us exploit it. Think of the unicorns!
George Tetley. What, did you think Rasa was implying unicorn dust would be a valid option? Astute readers I suspect would take that as a clue that Rasa was being sarcastic, not cheering Cuomo on.
I have to agree with George, Pipelines for Unicorn Dust was just plain ignorant.
Unicorn FARTS are transported by Pipeline. Unicorn Dust gets transported by rail.
~¿~
ROFL!!! 😀
So, won’t customers just increase orders for more expensive and dirtier fuel oil or (gasp) coal? Or, just move to PA?
I think the reference to unicorn dust is a clue that this was tongue in cheek
Rasa: Very good, but in NY, the unicorn dust is more likely than the pipeline.
Unicorn dust is definitely more likely in NY.
Unicorns are a very small voting bloc. The State of NY can probably get away with taxing their unicorn dust profits at a rate of about 90%, without the Democrats losing any seats in Albany.
Don’t demean small voting blocs. They gave us AOC.
The Brave Green World will create hundreds of thousands of jobs for Unicorn Dusters. It’s such stuff as dreams are made on.
We will see eco-egos exploding when the wrath of the people hits them.
You get what you vote for.
What is really sad is we are all hurt by what the idiots propose and destroy.
Dead voters don’t care what they vote for, nor how cold or warm it is, nor the cost of energy, nor….
More evidence that being a Democrat is strongly associated with mental illness. My suspicion is the arrow of causality is: mental illness —> Democrat.
That could be alternatively stated as: Not all mentally ill are Democrats, but you have to be mentally to be a Democrat.
I have no problem with this idea. It occurred to me recently that a lot of the cognitive dissonance you see in leftists may well originate with chronic psychoactive drug abuse starting at an age when the brain is still developing. Abnormal psych people, you might want to consider a bold new direction for your research. I see many newly-minted PhDs coming out of this.
I was into full scale psychedelic research in my teen years. Never had my brain that screwed up. It takes more than drugs to get that stupid, they will only get you so far.
Well, mental illness covers a *wide* territory, including such things as depression or various anxiety disorders. I would rather state that to be Democrat is to be in a state of war against reality.
Okay. I’ll buy that. “Mental illness” is a rather broad and ambiguous term.
Today’s Democrats are clearly residing in states of fantasy and delusion. And maybe the few exceptions that aren’t are simply acting, i.e. the deceptive conman role.
Guys like Cuomo probable don’t really believe all the CAGW alarmism. But the people who support him are the people he needs to “butter his bread” for campaign cash, so he plays their useful idiot, and stops natural gas pipelines. Natural gas and its new-found abundance is absolutely killing the renewable wind/solar energy hustle the GreenBlob has invested heavily in. Utilities are now wanting to build out CCGT power plants to replace coal and nuclear.
The Green Blob has been and IS banking heavily on off-shore wind installations all along the East Coast with big subsidies (crony capitalism) from government. As Warren Buffett has said, (paraphrasing) the only reason to invest in these things (wind/solar) is because of the presence of subsidies and tax incentives.
Climate Change is just the biggest Confidence Scheme ever invented.
So, Cuomo is just a Conman. He got enough suckers to trust him to vote him into office. Now he’s picking their pockets. And the people behind him (NRDC, et al) are also part of the Confidence Scheme looking to profit by juiced-up ROI’s on renewable energy schemes, confidence schemes force-fed down throats of the People and taking their money.
Renewable energy schemes of course produce electricity. The Conmen thus need more people heating their homes and offices with electricity (heat pumps and electrical resistive heating) than from nat gas. To run the Confidence Scheme they thus need to keep the much cheaper natural gas out-of-play, out of the market, as a choice to consumer. Stifling competition is what Democrats do. Competition drives down costs and increases efficiency. Put that doesn’t put money into the Conman’s pockets.
That is where the power of regulatory nature of the State that the Democrats love to use as a tool comes in. NRDC and the Green Blob fund Conmen like Cuomo to political office election vicotry with copious campaign cash. The elected political hack Conmen then use the regulatory powers of the State to stifle competition in the energy market, to rig an outcome favorable to the Green Team. Money then flows to the Green Schemes out of People’s pockets.
The People in a representative democracy would never put-up with such a direct taxation fleecing or their money. They’d vote such taxing bums out at the next election. The Green Confidence Scheme was invented to bypass that and pick the People’s pockets without most folks realizing it. Or if they did, guilt to shut-up them with “Save the Planet” rhetorical nonsense.
Once any person (not just Democrats) lose their grip on Truth they enter a world of increasing delusion. It starts with some shred of altruism, thinking that “the ends justify the means” and that a “white lie” is necessary to achieve some future good, but then a sort of psychic rot sets in. People begin by thinking they are crafty and others are naive fools, but increasingly they lose track of their lies, until the ones they are fooling are themselves. It is a a sad thing to witness, but one needs to watch out, because when their “crafty deals” start to crumble they become desperate. When rats can’t desert a ship they become cornered rats.
We are witnessing this phenomenon with our own amazed eyes.
“Until then, National Grid warned larger customers, like businesses and industrial facilities, they may not receive natural gas on extremely cold days.” – article
Well, then, those businesses and industrial facilities may decide to take their employment offerings elsewhere. Gee whizzikers, New York seems to be really good at chasing out businesses with jobs (Amazon!) and utilities that will keep the home fires burning. Is that governor going to forbid the building of homes with woodburning fireplaces now? Does that “governor” ever go outside the city of New York?
Just a hint of what this year may be like in the ag world: seed corn in silos got hit so hard by spring rains in the central midwest (e.g., Nebraska) that it rotted and spoiled and can’t be used. Same thing has happened to soybeans. The replacement seed amount is lower in portions dealt to farmers. The result (for soybeans, too) will be a smaller harvest in the fall. This will impact the price of gas at the pump and food prices, too.
re: “Does that “governor” ever go outside the city of New York?”
Supposedly, he resides in/near Albany / the state capitol. But his brain is wired to NYC …
He has no brain.
Okay – Hypothalamus then.
The absolute minimum to making him a living, breathing meat puppet.
The people (village idiots) who elect the Cuomos of the world are the ones who are star dust eyed and brainless. lol
The Scarecrow had more brains than Cuomo.
Some projects impacted by National Grid’s moratorium on new gas hookups …
Belmont Park complex. A billion dollar plus arena for NHL team as part of a huge retail project.
Nassau Hub. A $1.5 billion dollar residential (600 units) operation as part of a huge retail and office project.
Ronkonkoma Hub. Another billion dollar plus, 1,450 residential units, office and retail complex.
Several smaller commercial and residential developments will come to a screeching halt as the cost to heat water, dry clothes, cook food, and warm residences is astronomically more expensive when using means other than natgas. (Think electricity, propane, heating oil. Logistics along with costs are horrific).
Just getting started with all this wealth destruction.
Con Ed will definitely follow National Grid’s lead (already said they would) and a announce a moratorium on Manhattan, Da Bronx, and remaining areas of Westchester.
The political and economic drama is poised to enter hyper drive as VERY influential heavy hitters weigh in under the white hot glare of NYC media.
Gonna be epic.
“The replacement seed amount is lower in portions dealt to farmers. The result (for soybeans, too) will be a smaller harvest in the fall.”
Possibly implying that the coming Chinese punitive tariffs against some American ag products will actually help keep prices down. Oh the irony.
China may get a jolt when they discover they can’t “leverage” lower prices, because, rather than the usual surplus, we have no spare soybeans to sell.
https://sunriseswansong.wordpress.com/2019/05/17/might-want-to-stock-up-on-foodstuffs/
“This will impact the price of gas at the pump”
Should be cheaper without the ethanol.
Trump will suspend requirements in a shortage.
Obama would insist on E15 in a shortage.
And Comrade de Blasio has banned all new steel and glass buildings in NYC, as well. What a maroon.
Keep it up NY. The only downside is your citizens that vote on bonehead after another in office move to other places and vote to ruin them too.
“The state has made it clear that dangerous gas pipelines have no place in New York. This is a victory for clean water, marine life…”
Natural gas is non-toxic, has low solubility in water and disperses to atmosphere.
The faux “environmental concerns” surrounding sediment disruption during pipeline construction approaches DAPL-levels of hypocrisy and idiocy.
(The DAPL pipe was co-located 22 feet away from the twin, 42 inch diameter Northern Border gas pipes installed in 1982 through the disputed area).
The use of a jet sled and directional drilling under the 2,000 foot wide Ambrose Channel causes miniscule bottom disturbance.
This is in contrast to the recent deepening of the Port of New York that saw over 50 MILLION cubic yards of bottom removed.
Good point about the comparative bottom disturbance. Got to wonder about the harbor infrastructure Cuomo plans for his off-shore wind program to say nothing of the wind turbines themselves.
Buried pipelines across bays cause only minimal and temporary disturbance. If properly filled, shallow water habitats can recover rapidly. I recall a leak in a grassbed, no one could tell that the line was there and no one was hurt. Easy to determine the engineering connections of moving fluids. They are so quiet. The objections are hypothetical.
Lots of animals turn over sediment, gophers on land, mullet in the water. The estimate for mullet is about a thousand square feet a year per individual. Most bay bottoms get turned over biologically several times a year which often helps aeration. Without critters sediments stratify and can become anaerobic.
“This is in contrast to the recent deepening of the Port of New York that saw over 50 MILLION cubic yards of bottom removed.”
Yes, yet think of the SL rise that was prevented from that.
The Green Blob doesn’t want to be confused by facts.
These people constantly add adjectives that twist the argument. Notice here they say “dangerous gas pipelines have no place in New York”. Of course that would true and most people would agree. However, nobody ever asks them back “are these gas pipelines really dangerous?” It is the same with “gun violence”. Of course we want to stop all types of violence, including gun violence. But that is not the same argument as prohibiting guns in general.
Without calling out theses subtle changes, we let the extremists set an incorrect narrative.
My thoughts exactly. The implication is that ALL gas pipelines are dangerous, so are they going to propose to shut down all natural gas pipelines in the state of NY? I’d like to see the reaction to that.
Could they be any more transparent? The use of “clean water” and other faux enviro “concerns” as a fig leaf to cover their real agenda – killing fossil fuel use is mind-numbingly blatant. The DemoRats are cruisin’ for a bruisin’ next year, is all I can say.
Why should businesses be at the sharp end of the supply cut-offs when it is the domestic consumers who voted in the Politicos who should suffer the consequences.
Cut them off first!
But, the domestic consumers vote! The ‘bread and circuses’ MUST continue and pain must _not_ be felt ..
They are all being denied new access.
This includes the near 8,000 customers per year who switch from expensive heating oil to cheap natgas.
NYC has almost half a million people living in government run housing complexes – aka the Projects.
Virtually all are heated with oil-fueled boilers.
The ongoing added expense will continue to crush these residents for several winters to come.
Absolute immorality at the highest levels on full display here.
Weaponizing water, food, energy,…all critical necessities, is their agenda. The reality is “they”want you dead. Read Ted Turner’s lips; the focus is too eliminate all but a few. Turner: “A total world population of 250-300 million people, a 95% decline from present levels, would be ideal.” The political puppets are doing the dirty deed, checking off on box here and another box there.
In other words make everyone suffer…to death.
The Cuomo family is known for blocking energy projects.
The present governor’s “old man” (Mario the pious) ended up blocking the fully-constructed 5.5 Billion Shoreham nuke plant, WHICH the rate-payers are still footing the bill on today.
https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/01/nyregion/cuomo-and-lilco-sign-a-new-accord-to-shut-shoreham.html
Here is an un-authorized tour of that plant complex … you will NEVER, EVER get this close to a nuclear plant yourself, so this video is a gem to be appreciated for the extraordinary tour it provides.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONEm1ph3MP4
.
errata/correction: 5.5 Billion dollar (and 1989 dollars at that!) nuke plant
Also: The level of future rate rises was uncertain today, but officials predicted that the P.S.C. and Lilco would likely agree to a decade of rate increases averaging 4.3 to 4.6 percent a year. The Governor’s original settlement called for a decade of annual 5 percent rate increases, which, when compounded, would work out to 63 percent.
AOC and de Blasio torpedoed AMAZON’s NYC Distribution Center worth 25,000 new jobs, and now Cuomo sabotaged new NY gas pipelines to make sure citizens and corporations are starved of energy…
It’s a badge of honor to Leftists to destroy jobs and economies ‘cuz… business is evil…
Leftists have gone completely insane.
Trump will definitely win re-election as taxpayers will refuse to let Democrats destroy the strongest US economy in 50 years.
If enough businesses and people leave NY then the current infrastructure will be adequate.
Coming soon…just turn off the gas 2 days a week for 30% emissions cut ! Those watermelons are sharp thinkers.
Actually, that is already happening under the term ‘Demand Response’.
If consumers agree with their suppliers to voluntarily limit consumption during peak times (think the 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM window on very hot or cold days), those customers get a small discount on pricing.
A couple of aluminum smelters in Australia have struggled with this and frozen plotlines have been the result.
Any utility that uses Load Shedding in its Resource Plan is a socialist tool.
Oregon has a “KEEP IT IN THE GROUND!” (headline from our local lefty rag .)
policy. We’re fortunate to be near the Idaho Border and have good hydro and gas
connections..
NY is going to pay big for this..
Oregon is like New York State in that hydropower and gas-fired generation located in other states and or in Canada can’t keep them afloat forever.
Oregon is forcing the shutdown of the Boardman coal plant in 2020, and the state previously forced closure of the Trojan nuclear plant in 1992. Oregon will not allow further construction of gas-fired generation within the state’s borders. Even though NuScale is headquartered in Portland, any consideration of building nuclear within Oregon’s own borders is totally out of the question.
New York State is forcing the closure of the Indian Point nuclear plant by 2021 and is constraining the growth of gas-fired generation within its state borders.
Roughly a decade will pass before the effects of these decisions on the reliability of the power supply in each state will begin to be felt. The effects on the price of electricity is a different matter. Ever rising prices for electricity will dampen demand and become its own impetus for the conservation measures needed to make the green energy policies adopted in both states work.
Between now and 2050, New Yorkers and Oregonians must cut their total consumption of electricity roughly in half if those two states are to meet the renewable energy targets set for them by their state’s politicians. Doubling or tripling the price of electricity is one way to get the job done.
The Democrat Party is being led by people who cannot think outside the caricature they have made for themselves. What makes this so amazing is the fact that they were beat in the national election because of this kind of stupidity. The media will continue to back them all the way and they will yet again be surprised at the outcome of the next election. What is really stunningly stupid is the lack of any sense of purpose in the field of Democrat candidates other that hate, disrespect, and animosity toward the American political system. That this government is the cradle of individualism and individual freedom seems completely lost for these people. There is even an indication they are thinking of dusting off Hillary and put her back in the offering for 2020. This is by all counts the definition of insanity, but then who’s complaining. The Democrats don’t know how to fix anything, so who needs them?
Bad move. The idiots will bring their politics with them. Texas is already starting to turn purple. You want it to be blue and the same idiocy you see in NY to migrate to the Lone Star?
Make them get passports if they want to leave NYC for another state. Limit their allowed time to stay outside NYC’s boundaries.
More walls! lol
Calling all businesses…calling all businesses…Com to Texas! We have so much natural gas we are flaring it in the production fields. We LIKE building pipelines. We LIKE working. We LIKE businesses and prosperity.
Come join the People of Reality. Especially if you make bricks or anything else that can be used to build a wall! First we finish the south wall, then we can start walling off the liberal states! LOL
One has to wonder just how long people in New York will put up with losing jobs and freezing in the winter or paying sky-high electric bills.
From late-term abortions to denying people heat in the winter – can anything explain the Democrats’ positions other than a desire to see people die? I guess the think that when they redistribute our wealth, the fewer of us there are, the more they will each get.
Republicans are only a little better. Why is there no rational, honest, ethical political party?
Looking at today’s ‘leaders’, I am astounded by the fact that out of a population of only two million, Jefferson, Madison, Washington, Franklin, Adams, Hamilton, and Jay all came together at the same time. What has happened to us?
It is the way of socialism. Those at the top are only interested in making sure they stay there by imposing strict policies that prevent others from displacing them.
Awesome. I like when bad Progressive policy takes place a long way away from me. Let gas prices soar and people go cold in coming winters, and then take their wrath out on the eco-fascists in coming elections.
No problem. Flee the state while you can or learn to love the stupidity, cold and hunger.
The problem is that there is no place to flee to. As liberal states fail the ex residents flee to other states bringing their failed political views with them. We really need some sort of political chemotherapy to fight the metastasizing cancer of progressivism!
There is a lot of truth to that. Leaving a big metro for a smaller metro increases the smaller metro’s weight in voting in touchy feely greenie make me feel good acute progressivismitis.
Why do New Yorkers need NG ? In the winter they all fly to Florida anyway.
The ultimate goal is the economic collapse of all Western nations. When that happens, from the rubble, the new One World Government will be formed and the .1% like Soros will rule with an iron fist.
Seems to me the utility companies should just turn off the gas and electricity to the governor’s mansion, and also to the offices and homes of those (like Kim Ong) who are so set against new energy hook ups. Figure that would end the problem post haste.
That scumbag has the look of a disgusting, shyster creep. Swim in your collective swill NY. You deserve it.
The important question is whether the water supply is likely to be affected. I gather from posters above that the marine environment is not a real problem, what is the nature of the risk to the water supply?
Natural gas is non-toxic, doesn’t dissolve in water and dissipates to the atmosphere. So if a NG pipeline beneath a body of water happened to leak there would be no risk of harm to the water supply.
That’s what I thought but is there a risk to water supplies from aspects of the construction?
How come the omnipotent green tech hasn’t come with a green low battery drain IPhone app to keep you warm in cold winters ?
The heating in city and government buildings should be limited to 40F. This would save gas and prevent freezing the plumbing. Of course this would include schools. Young people would gladly be on board with this to prevent a climate catastrophe.
The Utility is clearly NOT run by woke leftist Warming cultists. If it was, they wouldn’t BAN all new utility hook ups … but instead … do what my local utilities here in N.CA have done … simply JACK UP the connection fees to a point of making new connections economically infeasible.
Cut the natural gas supply lines to the governors mansion, the state capitol building, and every other agency and individual responsible for blocking the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline project. Do not reinstate these hypocrite NG users until they see the error of their Luddite ways.
It’s high time one of these locations bitching about fossil fuels got cut off entirely. I would fell great sympathy for the people suffering but this would serve as a lightening rod for people to wake up to the asinine hypocrisy that is going on. Imagine being able to look at New York, as the army is called in to assist millions of suffering people without heat or power, people who can’t get to work, people who can’t eat. If that’s what it takes then let’s make it happen- then rush in to save the innocent people from the lunacy of the greens all the while booting their asses to the back of the class.
NYC adopts new law to reduce the greenhouse gas methane caused by human flatulence: “If you have gas we shoot your a**.” /sarc
Maybe to time to invest in propane suppliers!
Keeping the northeast tied to fuel oil.
No problem here. Any fair judge would approve of putting pipeline protesters on the top of the gas line cut off list. –AGF
Let them freeze in the dark.
To be consistent, New York should quit importing electricity from John Amos power plant in West Virginia (coal-fired, of course). If natural gas is evil and dirty, electricity generated by coal is doubly so. This power plant generates 2.9 GW at full capacity, most of which goes to the northeastern states of the US of A.
Torture is a common mean in NY prisons:
https://www.google.com/search?q=new+york+prisoners+freezing&oq=prisoners+freezing+&aqs=chrome.
I live in NYC and I am looking forward to spending my declining years sitting in the dark and freezing. Saving the planet makes it all worthwhile. Every day in every way, government is making my life better.
“Torture is a common mean in NY prisons:”
Oh dear!!!! Days on end without cable TV and chilly cells, when will the horrors end?
The associated fuel oil distributors thank you.
Liberals love to use the interstate commerce clause to ram all kinds of horrible things towards states from the feds.
Its ironic.. because this issue is *exactly* the reason the clause was.. created. You have a state that may or may not be blocking distribution from one state (or port..) to another. These issues of logistics were why the interstate commerce clause was allowed, in spite of most federalists preference for state sovereignty. Regulate was not meant to mean pass any law that says anything about 2 states. It meant where conflicting interests occur between states, the feds can help provide a solution.