A controversial natural gas pipeline project is now moving forward. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has approved key permits for the Northeast Supply Enhancement — or “NESE” — pipeline.
The NESE pipeline is a proposal by the Transco Company — a subsidiary of energy giant Williams — and it would dredge up and build a 23-mile natural gas pipeline through Raritan Bay in New Jersey and into Lower New York Bay. It’s meant to boost natural gas supplies to National Grid downstate customers — especially in Brooklyn and Queens.
The project has faced years of pushback from environmental groups — worried about the impacts to water quality, fragile marine life, and New York’s clean energy goals. The DEC has rejected this project in the past for those reasons…