January 2020, Vol. 247, No. 1
Global News
New US Energy Secretary Slams New York for Blocking Pipelines
New U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette slammed New York state regulators for blocking pipelines that would bring natural gas from Appalachia to New England but did not specify whether the Trump administration could do anything to push the projects forward.
“Certain bad actors are trying to slow job creators and decrease the benefits for consumers,” said Brouillette, who was sworn in by President Donald Trump in December. “Due to one state’s extremist policies the entire New England region is cut off from receiving cheaper American natural gas,” said Brouillette.
Brouillette praised the gas industry which has seen prices pushed toward a 25-year low as it is produced as a byproduct of the shale oil boom. The glut threatens to force energy companies to write off billions of dollars’ worth of assets.
New York State has blocked the construction of several pipelines that would transport fracked natural gas from the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania to New England, including Williams Cos Inc’s Constitution and Northeast Supply Enhancement and National Fuel Gas Co’s Northern Access.
During an extreme cold spell early last year, a tanker of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, arrived in the Boston Harbor from a sanctioned facility in the Russian Arctic. The Trump administration blamed the need to import this LNG on New York’s policy on the pipelines.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has been battling New York for years on permitting for Northern Access pipeline. State regulators have denied that pipeline and others on environmental grounds.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has said it has a rigorous review process to protect public health and the environment.
Comments