Cuomo Blocks Williams Pipeline

ALBANY, N.Y. – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today rejected the application for the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (NESE), or Williams Pipeline, a significant roadblock to its development. The proposal called for building a new fracked gas pipeline from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, through Middlesex and Monmouth Counties in New Jersey, to the Rockaways in New York City – and threatened to pollute some of the region’s most ecologically important waterbodies, including Raritan Bay, Lower New York Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. 

A statement follows from Kimberly Ong, Senior Attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):

“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. Instead of further locking in our reliance on fossil fuels, New York is rightly capturing the power of the wind and the sun, and investing in a local clean energy economy. We will continue to work with our allies to ensure this reckless project is shelved forever.”

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.​