Queens and Richmond Counties - Extension of Public Comments for the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project SPDES, Article 15 Permit, and Water Quality Certification Applications
Public Notice
Announcement of Extension of Public Comment Period
Applicant:
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company LLC
2800 Post Oak Blvd Level 17
Houston, TX 77056
Project:
Northeast Supply Enhancement Project
DEC Application IDs:
2-9902-00109/00007 (Article 15 Protection of Waters, Excavation and Fill in Navigable Waters)
2-9902-00109/00009 (Water Quality Certification)
2-9902-00109/00010 (SPDES)
Prior Notice:
On July 2, 2025, NYSDEC issued a Notice of Complete Application announcing a 30-day public comment period (https://dec.ny.gov/news/environmental-notice-bulletin/2025-07-02/public…)
Current Notice:
This Notice serves to provide notification of the extension of the public comment period by 15 days to August 16, 2025.
Project Location:
Raritan Bay and Lower New York Bay (Richmond and Queens County)
Project Description:
The Northeast Supply Enhancement Project (“NESE Project”) is a 26-inch diameter pipeline proposed by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company LLC (Transco) that would transport natural gas from Pennsylvania through New Jersey, travelling underwater in the Raritan Bay and Lower New York Bay to approximately three miles offshore of the Rockaway Peninsula in the borough of Queens. Approximately 23.5 miles of underwater pipeline will be installed, of which approximately 17.4 miles would be in New York State waters.
The NESE Project would connect to the existing Rockaway Delivery Lateral in Queens, and would provide 400,000 dekatherms per day of incremental capacity to National Grid to serve customers in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. According to Transco, the project is intended to support reliability as well as help displace the use of oil.
The NESE Project would be installed a minimum of 4 feet below the sea floor through a combination of jet trenching, clamshell dredging, and horizontal directional drilling (HDD). Construction is proposed in a manner that will minimize impairment of the best usages of the waters, but mitigation may be required for unavoidable impacts. If permits are ultimately issued, compensatory mitigation would be required to offset unavoidable impacts to benthic resources, including shellfish.
Water Quality Certification (WQC) Application:
In accordance with Clean Water Act Section 401, prior to commencing construction, applicants seeking a federal license or permit for activities that may result in a discharge to navigable waters must obtain a WQC from the NYSDEC indicating that the proposed activity will comply with State water quality standards. The review and issuance of a WQC would also require approvals pursuant to Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) Article 15, Protection of Waters.
State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) Application:
Prior to putting the pipeline into service, the line will be hydrostatically tested with filtered seawater treated with a corrosion inhibitor and a non-toxic fluorescent dye. The applicant has applied for an Industrial State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit for the discharge of the hydrostatic test water to two outfall locations. A draft SPDES permit (NY0296457) has been prepared which includes flow monitoring. Permit details can be seen in a draft permit and fact sheet on NYSDEC’s website: https://dec.ny.gov/regulatory/permits-licenses/wastewater-stormwater-water-withdrawal/spdes-permit-program.
Availability of Application Documents:
Filed application documents, and NYSDEC draft permits where applicable, are available for inspection during normal business hours at the address of the contact person. To ensure timely service at the time of inspection, it is recommended that an appointment be made with the contact person. The documents are also available at: https://northeastsupplyenhancement.com/ and:
Bay Ridge Public Library
7223 Ridge Blvd
Brooklyn, NY 11209
(718) 748-5709
St. George Library Center
5 Central Ave
Staten Island, NY 10301
(718) 442-8560
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Determination:
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the lead agency for the environmental review of interstate natural gas pipelines under the federal Natural Gas Act. FERC staff prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), dated January 25, 2019 for the NESE Project, Docket Numbers CP17-101 and CP20-49-001, pursuant to NEPA. The FERC FEIS can be viewed and downloaded at: https://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/docket_search.asp by entering the Docket No. and the date of the FEIS in the search boxes.
The federal environmental review process conducted by FERC pursuant to NEPA takes the place of an environmental review conducted under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. NYSDEC evaluates the FERC NEPA documents and the permit applications submitted by applicants to NYSDEC to make a determination regarding issuance of NYSDEC authorizations.
State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Determination:
This project is not subject to SEQR (federally preempted) and therefore is treated as if it was a Type II action.
SEQR Lead Agency: None Designated
State Historic Preservation Act (SHPA) Determination:
The proposed activity is not subject to review in accordance with SHPA. The activity is being reviewed in accordance with federal historic preservation laws (Section 106 of NHPA) and the project area of potential impact is substantially the same.
Coastal Management:
This project is located in a Coastal Management area and is subject to the Waterfront Revitalization and Coastal Resources Act.
DEC Commissioner Policy 29, Environmental Justice and Permitting (CP-29):
It has been determined that the proposed action is not subject to CP-29.
Statutory and Regulatory Provisions:
The above referenced applications were filed and reviewed pursuant to Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) Article 3, Title 3 (General Functions, Powers, Duties and Jurisdiction), and Article 70 (Uniform Procedures Act or UPA); and pursuant to Title 6 of Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York (6 NYCRR) Part 621- Uniform Procedures. The relevant regulations are found at: Part 608 (Protection of Waters), Part 750 (SPDES) and Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 USCA 1341).
Opportunity for Public Comment:
Written comments submitted to NYSDEC during this comment period are considered part of the record. At the conclusion of the public comment period, NYSDEC will determine pursuant to 6 NYCRR 621.8 whether substantive or significant issues have been raised in the public comments to warrant an Adjudicatory Hearing. If no issues are raised to warrant further adjudication, NYSDEC will proceed to a final permit determination, either denying the permit(s) or issuing the permit(s).
Individuals and parties may file written comments to the NYSDEC representative listed below or may submit comments electronically at [email protected].
The public comment period has been extended by 15 days. All written filed comments and electronically submitted comments must be received no later than August 16, 2025.
Cheryl A Sandrow
NYSDEC - Division of Environmental Permits
625 Broadway, 4th Fl
Albany, NY 12233-1750
