Natural Gas Projects Reboot After Officials Wake Up to Stark Realities

This article was originally published by The Empowerment Alliance and is re-published with permission. 

When the government abuses its powers in pursuit of far-left political goals at the expense of commonsense policies, entire states and regions often suffer.

Such was the case in recent years when numerous projects centered on traditional energy were derailed by environmental extremists who leveraged the tools of government to erect roadblock after roadblock. Most famously, the Biden administration canceled the Keystone XL project in 2021, which was designed to carry 830,000 barrels of oil sands crude per day from Alberta to Nebraska.

Rather than play losing hands dealt from stacked decks, frustrated energy companies eventually began pulling the plug on one project after another, all to the detriment of businesses and families. Meanwhile, the government artificially propped up wind and solar projects, promoting energy sources that raided taxpayer wallets and were more expensive, less reliable and less efficient than traditional sources of energy.

Among the natural gas pipeline projects that ground to a halt were the Constitution and the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipelines, both designed to transport natural gas to New York. Activists agitated against the projects, often centering their arguments on supposed clean water concerns and the alleged dangers of fracking. Even though the fracking was happening in Pennsylvania – and the projects had received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – New York state officials ultimately caved to the pressure from the far left and denied permits.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was a leader among the anti-pipeline forces. In 2019, Cuomo had “signed into law the state’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” as NPR previously reported. Of the pipeline efforts, Cuomo pledged that “any way that we can challenge it, we will.”

After years of costly battles – and in the face of New York regulatory officials and politicians determined to stand in their way – company officials threw their hands in the air and gave up on the Constitution project in 2020, doing the same just a year ago in regard to the NESE pipeline.

Environmental groups were ecstatic. When the Constitution project shut down, Earthjustice staff attorney Moneen Nasmith said, “At this critical moment for our climate, we cannot afford unnecessary fossil fuel projects that will lead to more fracking and exacerbate our climate crisis.”

As evidenced by increasingly frequent blackouts and faulty grid performances, the so-called “alternatives” favored by self-labeled “environmental groups” have proven to be poor substitutes for affordable and reliable traditional energy resources. Among those resources, natural gas leads the way in both cost effectiveness and cleanliness. Natural gas has become increasingly “green” with a low carbon footprint compared to other fossil fuels.

Shutting down the natural gas pipeline projects led to predictable consequences – a shortage of gas in New York and New England, leading to understandable worries about sustaining reliable energy. As demonstrated by the blackout that hit Spain, Portugal and parts of France in late April, natural gas is essential to producing electricity and rescuing residents from grid failures caused by the weaknesses of wind and solar.

But there’s renewed hope for New York and the surrounding region. Because of the Trump administration’s posture favoring traditional energy sources, the Williams Companies – owners of the Constitution and NESE pipeline projects – announced in late May that they are working with government officials to revive both projects.

The news came after some savvy maneuvering by U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and a less severe attitude by current Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul. Burgum had issued a stop-work order on an off-shore wind project near New York. He lifted that order last month – a move that Hochul requested – saying he was encouraged that Hochul “will allow new gas pipeline capacity to move forward,” according to Reuters.

For her part, Hochul “did not specifically endorse the gas pipes but said in a statement that New York would work with the U.S. administration and private entities on projects that meet the legal requirements under state law,” Reuters reported. If not an expression of full-throated support, Hochul’s position is a far cry from Cuomo’s previous pledge to oppose the project “any way that we can challenge it.”

A Williams official said the company has submitted a petition to federal regulators to get started again, and “has begun working through state permitting matters with environmental regulators in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York and will be promptly filing applications with those agencies to secure the necessary permits for advancing both the NESE and Constitution Pipeline projects.”

Time and again, opposition to traditional energy collides with stark reality, too often only after disaster strikes and officials are forced to turn to tried-and-true resources. The proactive measures by the Trump administration, and the tempered responses from some officials on the left who choose to acknowledge reality, just might be happening in time to avert the pending energy disasters facing the U.S. and other countries.

The New York pipeline saga is a microcosm of the challenges facing the country, thanks to the misguided priorities of the climate cult. Local government officials from coast to coast would be wise to acknowledge what New York officials seem to be realizing: Building the delivery system for natural gas is delivering on the promise of affordable and reliable energy for all.

Gary Abernathy is a longtime newspaper editor, reporter and columnist. He was a contributing columnist for the Washington Post from 2017-2023 and a frequent guest analyst across numerous media platforms. He is a contributing columnist for The Empowerment Alliance, which advocates for realistic approaches to energy consumption and environmental conservation. Abernathy’s “TEA Takes” column will be published every Wednesday and delivered to your inbox!

This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.