The speculation OK Energy Today offered this week after President Trump changed his mind and allowed New York’s offshore wind farm development, leading some to wonder if Gov. Kathy Hochul had changed her mind about a new natural gas line, wasn’t an idle musing.
The President’s decision also sparked the same kind of talk in New York but aides to Gov. Hochul were quick to say no such deal for a gas pipeline was on the table. However, they quickly added the governor is not opposed to a new gas line.
Our speculation focused on whether it might open the door for Tulsa’s Williams Cos. to reconsider applying again to build a new gas line into New York State after it had been denied water permits not just once, but twice. CEO Alan Armstrong had declared a few months ago he wasn’t about to go down that path again and the only way he might consider it is if the governors in New England rolled out the red carpet.
Still, the prospects of a new gas line into the state is being talked about in certain political circles. E&E News raised the question in its headline that President Trump spared a New York wind project and what did he get in return. Did he pull off another “art of the deal” surprise?
“There has been speculation that pipeline developers may resurrect the plans previously rejected by Cuomo, who shot down a pair of pipeline proposals from Williams Cos. in 2016 and 2020.”
“The 125-mile Constitution pipeline would have carried gas from Pennsylvania to Wright, New York. New York rejected a Clean Water Act permit for the project, saying it would damage trout streams and old-growth forests. The state also blocked a plan to expand the Transco gas pipeline system’s capacity by an additional 400 million cubic feet a day, saying it was inconsistent with New York’s 2019 climate law,” reported the website.
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