The natural gas pipelines and energy transmission line projects NY is debating

New York has some big energy needs in the years to come, between meeting clean electricity goals in the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, attempting to replace dirty power sources like gas and oil, new technologies like AI demanding additional energy and strains that come from increasingly common extreme weather. In addition to increasing the supply, the state’s power grid needs updates and improvements to be able to handle all the demand and adequately distribute that energy to the places that need it. 

The state has a statutory requirement that all electricity in the state come from clean and renewable sources by 2040, a date that is fast approaching even as Gov. Kathy Hochul has admitted that New York won’t hit all the deadlines spelled out in the CLCPA. Meeting the law’s clean energy targets will require building electric transmission lines to get that clean energy from the places where it's produced to the communities that need it – projects that are championed by climate activists and many on the left. 

At the same time, conservatives wary of green energy are advocating for new gas pipelines to supply what they consider far more reliable and cheaper energy to meet the state’s current needs, even as Democrats have tried to decrease the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. 

Both electric transmission lines and gas pipelines have made news in New York recently, with federal politics playing a role in the future of the state’s energy sources and distribution. They’re each at different stages with different factors in play regarding their futures, so City & State put together a handy guide to keep them all straight.

ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINES

Champlain Hudson Power Express

Among the handful of energy transmission or gas lines in the news recently, the Champlain Hudson Power Express – or CHPE – electric power line from Canada to downstate New York is by far the furthest along. In fact, the project is nearing completion and should be operational by next year. Spanning from Quebec to Queens, the CHPE is decades in the making and will carry significant amounts of hydroelectric power to New York City, which still relies largely on gas power unlike large chunks of upstate. Once in operation, the transmission line is expected to help the state reach its clean energy goals, with an upcoming target of renewable sources providing 70% of New York’s electricity by 2030. The project also serves as a model for the rest of the nation as it will be the longest entirely underground or underwater transmission line in the United States, stretching 339 miles.

Clean Path Transmission Line

The Clean Path project has also made headlines recently, but with less positive developments than the CHPE. The proposed transmission line would run from Delaware County upstate to New York City and was meant to come online by 2027. The state actually finalized contracts for both Clean Path and CHPE at the same time. But the project is in purgatory right now after the private developer the state originally contracted with dropped out near the end of last year, citing cost concerns. The New York Power Authority pitched fully taking over the project from the private sector in the wake of the news to try to get construction underway for what had once been a key part of Hochul’s clean energy agenda. But last month, the Public Service Commission rejected NYPA’s bid to designate it a “priority project,” much to the chagrin of climate activists who saw the transmission line as crucial to meeting the state’s clean energy goals.

Propel NY Energy

The Trump administration may try to block projects like Propel NY Energy that could help distribute offshore wind energy. Transmission lines would connect Long Island with Queens, the Bronx and parts of Westchester, strengthening the grid on the island while permitting the transmission of excess wind energy to nearby communities. The project could begin construction next year, but it still needs to receive official approval from the PSC, which recently closed its open comment period for public hearings – though New Yorkers can still submit their opinions on the project. It also needs sign-off from the Army Corps of Engineers, which could be blocked due to Trump’s anti-offshore wind policies. Both the state and its private partner in the project have since sought to downplay the significance of distributing wind energy and highlight grid reliability benefits instead as the transmission lines would carry energy regardless of the source.

Smart Path Connect

The least expansive of the transmission line projects, but no less important, Smart Path Connect isn’t just building new lines, but rebuilding existing ones upstate to be more modern and resilient. A joint venture between NYPA and National Grid, work started at the very end of 2022 and is set to wrap up in June of next year.

GAS PIPELINES

Constitution Pipeline

The Constitution Pipeline, which is one of two projects that energy company Williams has been trying to build, would run from Pennsylvania into Western New York. Until recently, it seemed dead after the state blocked the project over water quality concerns, with Williams abandoning the plan to build the pipeline in 2020. But upon taking office, President Donald Trump took a special interest in the Constitution pipeline, pledging that he would see it built during his tenure. Later, the president moved to halt all federal approvals for offshore wind projects and issued a stop-work order for a major wind farm off of New York’s coast that was already under construction. Trump reversed course after speaking privately with Hochul, and the future of the Constitution pipeline was reportedly a key bargaining chip. However, the project remains in limbo with no clear agreement reached.

Northeast Supply Enhancement Project

Williams’ other stalled pipeline project, known as Northeast Supply Enhancement or NESEt, has benefited from the renewed interest in Constitution – and has seen more tangible advancements than its larger counterpart. Like with the Constitution pipeline, the state denied necessary water quality permits for NESE on three different occasions, stopping the project in its tracks. But after giving up on it last year, Williams applied this year for a new federal permit and submitted a new application to New York environmental regulators, in an attempt to kickstart its development again. 

The pipeline now has a completed application with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and a 30-day open comment period on the plan closed just last month with no public hearings and little public scrutiny. But the project, which would involve pipeline expansions through Pennsylvania, New Jersey and into New York City, has drawn strong opposition from environmental advocates and a growing number of elected officials. New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani became one of the latest to come out against the pipeline earlier this week.

Iroquois Expansion by Compression Project

Hochul received criticism earlier this year after the state DEC gave necessary approval for an expansion to the existing Iroquois pipeline that would enable it to carry more gas into the state – specifically,  New York City. Prior to the state decision, the project faced intense opposition for several years, as elected officials and climate advocates alike implored Hochul to reject it as antithetical to the state’s clean energy goals. But proponents of the expansion argued that it was needed to ensure that downstate had adequate energy to keep the heat on during the coldest parts of winter, an argument that ultimately won out with regulators. The Hochul administration’s approval to increase the capacity of a gas pipeline has left advocates wary about where she will come down on the Constitution and NESE pipeline projects.