New York Denies Pipeline -- May 15, 2019 -- Most Interesting Story Coming Out Of The Northeast This Year

Updates

May 16, 2019: this story will now be tracked at this post.

Original Post

 
Link here: story broke 37 minutes ago ....

My hunch: moratorium on new hook-ups for Westchester County, NYC, Long Island -- I give the regulators two months to sort this out. This is no longer about natural gas or the environment. It's about a) elitism; b) anarchy; c) no-growth [Occasional-Cortex can explain].

Huge thanks again to a reader for bringing this to my attention.

This may be the most interesting energy story coming out of the northeast this year.

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Backstory

This was the backstory, posted yesterday:

Deadline: tomorrow, May 15, 2019 -- a reader brought this to my attention -- one of many links here:

• New England, NYC, Long Island
• National Grid needs access to more natural gas if growth is to continue
• access to more natural gas hinges on permits for pipelines
• National Grid says it will put the moratorium on hookups back in place if the new pipeline permits are not approved
• affects Westchester County, NYC, Long Island
• directly from the article: the problem stems from three things: 
• significant growth in natural-gas demand created by the current development boom,
• increased demand from existing buildings converting to gas from dirtier energy sources such as heating oil, and 
• more extreme heating needs as climate change brings more extremely cold winter days. 
• no new pipeline has been approved since 2013
• at the link, the writer proposes the equivalent of President Carter's solution: wear sweaters in the winter

Actually it sounds like -- according to the article -- even without any growth, the National Grid natural gas supply is already stretched to its limits during the winter.

My hunch: they will find a way to thread the needle.

Likely solution: "forbid" National Grid from any moratorium on hookups but approve no new pipeline permit, waiting to see what this next winter brings. Seems crazy but kicking the can down the road has worked since 2013. If nothing else, the "May 15th" deadline will be extended, as the"parties remain talking."

Note the third point made by a "global warming" proponent: part of the current problem is due to "more heating needs as climate change brings more extremely cold winter days."