NY’s Jan. 1 Ban on New Gas Hookups Delayed by Lawsuit
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 leftwing 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 will not be allowed to connect to an existing natural gas pipeline system. Except Hochul is now backpeddling, using a lawsuit as an excuse to delay implementing the new law. Read More “NY’s Jan. 1 Ban on New Gas Hookups Delayed by Lawsuit”
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. 
Two separate reports released last week from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the entity in charge of the state’s electric grid, warn of coming blackouts in New York City without “several thousand megawatts of new dispatchable generation within the next ten years” added to the grid. Starting next summer, NYISO anticipates its reliability margins in NYC will be “dangerously thin,” making the grid more vulnerable to failures. This is not the first time NYISO has warned the state it’s on a razor’s edge and heading for blackouts. Yet NY’s Democrat politicians ignore the warnings and insist on pushing unreliable renewables. 
Unintended (but entirely predictable) consequences are now happening in New York State. 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 
We’ve been critical of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a tax on carbon dioxide assessed on power-generating plants in the northeastern U.S., since Pennsylvania’s then-Governor, Tom Wolf, unilaterally tried to force his state into the plan in 2019 via Executive Order (see 
Last week, we told you that, although she has not publicly admitted it, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has approved the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project (see 
Countless times, we have addressed the issue of the ban on fracking in New York State and how that ban is harming state residents economically. The number one natural gas-producing county in Pennsylvania is Susquehanna County. It shares a border with Broome County in New York, where MDN is located. The gas that sits under Broome and neighboring counties is no doubt just as prolific as that under Susquehanna. Yet we are prevented from accessing it. We spotted a new op-ed comparing PA fracking with the lack of fracking in NY. It’s a great column that makes excellent points. And it’s worth addressing this issue one more time. We also offer our standard reply to the question: Will NY ever see fracking? 
The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) met yesterday and voted to approve National Grid’s natural gas plan, which includes using more natural gas from the Williams Transco pipeline. While the PSC vote did not explicitly approve of the expansion of Transco, known as the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, the National Grid plan calls for increasing gas supply from Transco via NESE; therefore, the PSC implicitly approved the NESE project. It was an important signal from the Gov. Hochul administration that this project is going forward with the State of NY’s blessing. Antis are PO’d (personally offended) with Gov. Hochul. 
The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) is meeting today and will vote on whether to approve National Grid’s natural gas plan, which includes using more natural gas from the Williams Transco pipeline. More gas would be delivered to National Grid via the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project that will add a new 23-mile pipeline from the shore of New Jersey into (on the bottom of) the Raritan Bay, running parallel to the existing Transco pipeline before connecting to the Transco pipeline offshore from Long Island. The odious National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) convened a Zoom call featuring dingbat actor Mark Ruffalo to trash-talk the project ahead of the vote. 
Back in May, a prominent Wall Street fund manager (investor) was skeptical that Williams would be able to revive and build two pipeline Marcellus projects: the Constitution Pipeline and the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project. Then he sat down to dinner with Williams executives. He came out of that meeting with his mind changed. “I came out of that dinner pretty optimistic. I went in very skeptical. It changed my mind.” If you had any reservations that maybe, just maybe, antis would once again defeat these two projects, set your mind at rest. People with significant financial stakes don’t invest their money in ventures that aren’t a sure thing. That’s our takeaway.