New York activists target National Grid gas project after Williams shelves pipeline

摘要

Emboldened by the recent cancellation of a fiercely disputed natural gas pipeline project, climate activists are now looking to defeat National Grid USA's top alternative for addressing a downstate New York supply crunch. Dozens of environmental groups have asked Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Public Service Commission to reject any option that would increase gas supply into New York City and Long Island. That includes National Grid's recommendation to build LNG vaporizers and enhance compression on the Iroquois Gas Transmission System. The groups instead want New York to opt for non-infrastructure solutions, including energy efficiency and demand response measures and electric heating system adoption. In a report mandated by the company's settlement with the PSC over its 2019 gas moratorium, National Grid proposed a range of solutions to close a projected supply gap. In May, the company recommended two options: building Williams' Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, or a combination of new LNG vaporizers in Brooklyn, compression enhancements on the Iroquois system, and incremental energy efficiency and demand response.