After Pipeline Rejection, New York Must Chart a New Energy Path

This policy brief by RMI argues that New York State should prioritize energy efficiency and electrification over new gas infrastructure following the rejection of the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline. It contends that expanding gas capacity is incompatible with the state's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and that demand-side investments are the most cost-effective way to ensure energy reliability and meet decarbonization targets.

• The rejection of the $1.4 billion Northeast Supply Enhancement gas pipeline permit by New York State was based on the recognition that new gas infrastructure could increase financial risks for customers and jeopardize the state's climate targets. However, this rejection did not resolve the gas supply and demand gap projected by the utility National Grid for downstate New York.
• New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) sets aggressive decarbonization targets, including a 100 percent carbon-free electricity goal by 2040 and an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To meet these, the state must reduce gas demand by approximately 25 percent between 2020 and 2030, making further gas infrastructure expansion incompatible with these goals.
• While National Grid suggests that a combination of LNG vaporization upgrades ($59 million) and Iroquois gas compression enhancement ($272 million) is cheaper than electrification, RMI argues that non-infrastructure solutions are actually the lowest cost. This is because investments in electrification, demand response, and efficiency are required to meet CLCPA goals regardless of whether new gas infrastructure is built.
• To address gas demand growth, the state should prioritize oil-to-electric switching over oil-to-gas conversions and encourage all-electric new construction. Existing initiatives to reduce gas demand include New York City’s Local Law 97, $454 million in heat pump incentives through 2025, and efficiency investments for 350,000 low-to-moderate income households.

APA

RMI (2020). After Pipeline Rejection, New York Must Chart a New Energy Path. https://rmi.org/resources/after-pipeline-rejection-new-york-must-chart-a-new-energy-path/

Chicago

RMI. After Pipeline Rejection, New York Must Chart a New Energy Path. 2020. https://rmi.org/resources/after-pipeline-rejection-new-york-must-chart-a-new-energy-path/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=After Pipeline Rejection, New York Must Chart a New Energy Path |date=14 August 2020 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/after-pipeline-rejection-new-york-must-chart-a-new-energy-path/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2020after, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{After Pipeline Rejection, New York Must Chart a New Energy Path}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2020}, month = aug, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/after-pipeline-rejection-new-york-must-chart-a-new-energy-path/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }