Senators, utilities and advocates spar over gas pipelines, reliability and the Northeast Supply Enhancement project

The Senate joint hearing brought a focused debate on natural‑gas reliability and proposed pipeline projects, with senators, advocates and utility witnesses trading sharply different views on whether new pipeline capacity is needed and how to balance costs, climate mandates and near‑term reliability. Senators raised the recurrence of trucked liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries as evidence of a capacity gap. One lawmaker said that hundreds of LNG truck trips are operating on state roads and asked whether projects such as the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESI, sometimes referenced as NESE or "Nessie") or other interstate pipeline proposals should be approved to reduce truck traffic and winter vulnerability. National Grid and other utility witnesses told the committee that a combination of causes — aging pipeline infrastructure, extreme weather events and…