2nd Circuit Hears Arguments to Overturn NYC, NYS Ban on Gas Hookups
In January 2023, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a leftist Democrat, floated a plan to ban natural gas hookups in every single new home and business across the “Empire” State (see NY Gov. Hochul Loses Her Mind – Wants to Ban Gas in New Buildings). She even wanted to ban gas in existing homes, but that was too much to stomach even for NY’s left-wing Democrats (see New York Legislators Block Hochul NatGas Ban for Existing Homes). As part of the 2023-2024 budget deal, Hochul got her statewide ban on new hookups (see NY State has Fallen – Gas Stoves & Peaker Plants Banned in Budget). So, beginning Jan. 1, 2026, new homes (or businesses) in New York State were scheduled to be banned from connecting to an existing natural gas pipeline system. Except Hochul backpeddled, using a lawsuit as an excuse to delay implementing the new law (see NY’s Jan. 1 Ban on New Gas Hookups Delayed by Lawsuit). The Second Circuit heard arguments in the case last Friday. Read More “2nd Circuit Hears Arguments to Overturn NYC, NYS Ban on Gas Hookups”
Reverting back to true form by obsequiously bowing to environmental extremists, New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered her lapdogs at the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to log an objection with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to a request by Williams to resurrect the Constitution Pipeline project. Even though Hochul bartered a deal with President Trump to allow this pipeline (see 
A big announcement from the Trump Department of the Interior (DOI). Yesterday, the DOI announced an immediate pause on all large-scale offshore wind project leases currently under construction in the United States. There are five such projects along the East Coast, including one off the coast of New York State. The DOI said the decision stems from “national security risks” identified by the Department of War in classified reports, specifically concerning radar interference known as “clutter” caused by massive turbine blades. Trump previously negotiated a deal with NY Governor Kathy Hochul to allow two pipeline projects—the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project and the Constitution Pipeline—in return for building the offshore Empire Wind 1 project (see 
It’s always one step forward and two steps back here in the “Empire” State of New York. Recent actions by New York Governor Kathy Hochul regarding the energy sector have been encouraging. She horse-traded with President Trump to allow two natural gas pipelines to get built in the state (see 
The left is so amusing when it turns against one of its own. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is a card-carrying leftist. She has done her best to phase out the use of fossil fuels, including natural gas, throughout the state. She tried to force the state to abandon using natural gas and oil for heating and cooking in new construction (currently on hold in the courts). Under her direction, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) rejected permits for multiple existing (and new) gas-fired power plants. She’s forcing anyone who does connect to natural gas to pay the cost of running the pipeline to the house (or business). She signed a law banning the use of CO2 for fracking. She hates oil and gas! Yet by allowing two gas pipelines and vetoing a bill last week that would have banned the use of brine on roads during winter, the left turns against her and labels her “gassy Kathy.” Hilarious! 
New York’s “cap and invest” Climate Act law effectively rations fossil fuels while taxing them heavily. The system limits fuel sales through caps and requires distributors to buy allowances, passing costs on to consumers. With a mandated 30% emissions reduction by 2030, the Climate Act will cause dangerous shortages of essentials such as fuel oil and natural gas for heating and gasoline for transportation. There is a real danger that households will run out of heating fuel during cold winters. Even Gov. Hochul is now criticizing the law as “infeasible.” Capping the state’s main energy sources is an impractical and ruinous strategy that threatens the state’s standard of living. 
A couple of weeks ago, we told you that a pending lawsuit had stalled the implementation of the All-Electric Buildings Act (passed in 2023), which was supposed to require that any new home or business being built in New York could not (by law) connect to natural gas (see 
In January 2023, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a leftist Democrat, floated a plan to ban natural gas hookups in every single new home and business across the “Empire” State (see 
Donald Trump once famously said, “We’re gonna win so much. You’re gonna get tired of winning. And you’re going to say, ‘Please, please, it’s too much winning. We can’t take it anymore. Mr. President, it’s too much.’ And I’ll say, ‘No, it isn’t. We have to keep winning. We have to win more!'” He’s keeping his promise to win! However, we’re not tired of winning just yet. 😉 Last Friday, Williams announced that both New York and New Jersey have issued the required federal water permits needed to build the Transco pipeline project called the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE). President Trump made a deal (so the rumor goes) with NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, allowing her to continue building a $5 billion offshore wind farm boondoggle in return for building NESE and another project, the Constitution Pipeline (see 
Following some intense conversations between President Trump and New York Governor Kathy Hochul earlier this year, she caved (according to the White House) and agreed to allow two long-stalled pipeline projects—the Constitution and NESE—to get built in NY in return for Trump allowing her to continue to sink $5 billion into an offshore wind project (see 
Hell has officially frozen over. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is seeking to revise the state’s 2019 Climate Act, recognizing that its mandates for a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 are financially unsustainable for New Yorkers and have become a major election issue due to rapidly rising energy costs. This move follows a court ruling compelling the state to either change the law or issue the “infeasible” regulations by a February 2026 deadline, a task the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had previously avoided due to the “extraordinary and damaging costs” it would impose. The law’s implementation is further complicated by state electric power “plans” that rely on non-existent technology, highlighting the impossibility of meeting the 2030 target and setting the stage for a significant political battle as the law finally hits an economic wall. But that’s not all… 
The Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE), part of the mighty Transco pipeline system, is alive once again. A decade after Williams Cos. first proposed the $1-billion-plus natural gas pipeline and a year after the company scrapped it, the 400 MMcf/d capacity expansion for New York City and Long Island has been revived. This revival, primarily attributed to a shift in Washington’s political climate, resulted in a new FERC approval. Now, state regulators in New York and New Jersey are deliberating on the necessary water-quality permits. Once both NY and NJ issue those permits, it will be (more or less) smooth sailing to the construction and completion of the project. 