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.
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.