New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and pipeline operator Williams Cos. are headed for a collision over a state-issued water quality permit for the planned Constitution gas pipeline.
In December, Oklahoma-based Williams filed a petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asking it to reissue a certificate for construction and operation of the Constitution pipeline. Williams previously canceled the pipeline in 2020.
Williams also asked FERC last month to reaffirm the commission’s previous finding that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) waived its opportunity to issue a Section 401 water quality certification for the New York portion of the project.
Hochul, a Democrat who’s up for reelection this November, is pushing back against Williams’ request to FERC — asserting the company is “attempting to construct a pipeline through the heart of our state without undergoing state environmental review.”
