U.S. interior secretary calls on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to do more to lower energy costs
Four high-level members of the Trump administration descended on Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field on Tuesday for groundbreaking on a controversial natural gas pipeline that they say will dramatically reduce energy costs for millions of New Yorkers.
CBS News New York political reporter Marcia Kramer spoke exclusively with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who had a stern warning for Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Burgum touts benefits of NESE pipeline
Burgum is urging Hochul to rethink her overall energy policy to allow for more natural gas pipelines and more nuclear power.
"The one thing that New York can continue to lead in is out-migration of people and businesses, or they could be back in the game of where everybody wants to be part of New York," he said.
He said the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline (NESE) that broke ground Tuesday will reduce energy bills by $1,000 for 2.3 million homes in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.
Burgum said Hochul could be in the forefront of making energy costs even more affordable for more people.
"We just need common-sense policies," he said, "and when we do that, it is good for people's paychecks, it's good for people's pocketbooks."
He said NESE will prove its value before you know it, with homeowners in New York potentially seeing savings in as little as a year and a half.
"It could be here before the winter of '27, '28, of course, which is when a lot of people experience high prices on their utility bills," Burgum said.
Federal Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, meanwhile, called on the governor to stop her opposition to another pipeline -- the 125-mile Constitution Pipeline that will bring natural gas from Pennsylvania through New York to Connecticut and New England.
Connecticut Republican gubernatorial candidate Betsey McCaughey has sued Hochul for blocking that pipeline, but a spokesman for Hochul said the application for the pipeline has deficiencies that have not been addressed.
Environmentalists' concerns
The pipeline has been controversial from the get-go.
Environmentalists are worried that the pipeline, which will bring natural gas from Pennsylvania through New Jersey and a 17-mile stretch under the ocean floor near Staten Island, will harm marine life and dredge up contaminated sediment from the ocean floor.
A handful of protesters showed up at Tuesday's groundbreaking, and environmentalists are still trying to stop it.
"It's not what we need at this point," said Eastern Environmental Law Center Executive Director Christopher Miller. "It's gonna exacerbate climate impacts. It's gonna degrade our water quality. And it's gonna put communities at risk in terms of their health, safety, and their quality of life."
A spokesman for Hochul said in a statement:
"The Secretary of Interior is only trying to divert attention from skyrocketing gas and utility prices caused by the Trump administration's illegally-imposed tariffs and the war in Iran. Governor Hochul's all-of-the-above approach includes a host of options that will keep the lights on and costs down for New Yorkers."
