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Lawmakers, city officials and advocates spar over ‘Nessie’ pipeline reliability needs and climate trade‑offs
Summary
The hearing featured a dispute over whether proposed new downstate gas supply — notably the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESI or “Nessie”) — is needed to prevent wintertime disconnections or whether it would lock the state into more fossil‑fuel infrastructure and higher long‑term costs.
The Senate hearing featured a persistent debate over boosters’ and opponents’ views of downstate gas supply projects, including the Northeast Supply Enhancement (often called NESI or “Nessie” in testimony) and the role of pipelines versus transmission and non‑pipe alternatives.
Supporters, including some operators and utility witnesses, urged that the state consider near‑term supply and reliability risks exposed during winter storms. National Grid and other witnesses cited Winter Storm Elliott — which they said placed the downstate gas system within minutes of mass disconnections — as a reason to evaluate supplemental supply options. National Grid testified that revised long‑term gas plans identified a reliability benefit from Northeast Supply Enhancement and that the company had recommended revisions to…
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