Earthjustice Statement: NY Governor Hochul Rubberstamps Already Rejected Northeast Supply Enhancement Pipeline

Earthjustice Statement: NY Governor Hochul Rubberstamps Already Rejected Northeast Supply Enhancement Pipeline

New York rejected the water quality certification because the application failed demonstrate that the project would comply with the states' water quality standards

Contacts

Nydia Gutiérrez, [email protected],

Today, Governor Hochul has put New York's water quality at risk. NYS-Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced approval of a Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE). NESE is a pipeline expansion project that would involve constructing a 23.5-mile fracked gas pipeline beneath Raritan Bay and Lower New York Bay. DEC has previously denied the Certification for this pipeline finding that it would violate New York's water quality standards and there is nothing new in the current application that should change that outcome.

The following statement is attributed to Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate at Earthjustice:

"It is shameful that Governor Hochul, and her Department of Environmental Conservation, made a decision that fails to protect New Yorkers and our precious waterways. We are reviewing the certificate and evaluating our options. The certificate application hasn't changed since being previously rejected by the DEC, water quality standards haven't changed - only the political context has changed and that's not a basis to completely reverse course."

Additional Resources

• About the Northeast Office

About Earthjustice

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.