US Court Blocks Crucial Permit for Williams' $1 Billion Gas Pipeline Project
A US court has reversed a crucial permit for Williams' Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) natural gas pipeline project in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals granted petitions from environmental groups, vacating the Water Quality Certification and sending the case back to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
The $1 billion NESE project involves expanding the existing Transco gas pipe and includes an underwater segment in Raritan Bay between New Jersey and New York. The pipeline would carry 0.4 billion cubic feet per day of gas from Pennsylvania into New York, enough to supply around five million US homes for a day.
The environmental groups had filed a lawsuit against the NJDEP for approving the certification, citing concerns that the underwater segment would stir up sediment containing toxic contaminants like mercury and PCBs. Williams broke ground on NESE in Brooklyn, New York, in April 2026, with an expected completion date of the fourth quarter of 2027.