A group of New York City Democrats is making a last-ditch effort to delay the expansion of a controversial gas pipeline project stretching across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York that has received overwhelming support from the Trump administration. 

New York Reps. Jerry Nadler, Hakeem Jeffries, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Nydia Velazquez asked state officials to extend the public comment period for the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project, which was revived in May as part of a deal regarding offshore wind made between President Donald Trump and Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

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The public comment period is expected to end on Aug. 16, after 45 days. The Democrats are looking to more than double that time frame to 120 days, stalling the project by another two months. 

“We remain concerned that this timeline, ending August 16, 2025, may not provide sufficient opportunity for comprehensive review and input from concerned residents, subject-matter experts, and community-based organizations across New York,” the Democrats wrote in a letter sent on Tuesday to Hochul and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. 

Oklahoma-based pipeline developer Williams Companies first revealed in May that it was planning to revive the pipeline expansion project and the construction of the controversial Constitution pipeline in the same region. 

The Northeast Supply Enhancement project was canceled in May of last year, after receiving federal approval in 2019. Both the Northeast Supply Enhancement project and the Constitution pipeline were scrapped over the state of New York’s repeated refusal to issue Williams water quality permits. 

Members of the New York congressional delegation pointed to this past permit denial on Tuesday, saying the complexity of the company’s application for new permits warrants a longer public comment period and public hearings. 

“The NYSDEC has previously granted public comment periods that are longer than 45 days for complex and high-impact proposals,” they said. “This precedent reflects the Department’s recognition that meaningful public participation requires sufficient time and opportunity to engage.”

Earlier this summer, dozens of environmental groups also asked the state to extend the comment period and hold public hearings. In response, state officials extended the comment period from 30 days to 45. 

The project is intended to expand Williams’s transcontinental gas pipeline system in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, adding roughly 37 miles of pipeline along its existing systems. At least 17.3 miles of this pipeline would be located off the coast of New York, extending Williams’s system through Staten Island and Queens. 

The company has said it hoped to start construction in the third quarter of this year, with the pipeline becoming operational by the end of 2027. 

In early August, Williams signed commercial agreements for the project, inching closer to that in-service target. The company is again pursuing a federal permit and approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, as well as water permits from the state. 

While New York officials previously blocked the project through the permitting process, supporters of the pipeline are confident it will move forward, given commitments from the governor. 

The revival of the two pipeline projects has long been speculated to have been included in a deal between Hochul and Trump, in which the administration lifted a stop-work order on the offshore Empire Wind project under construction in New York. 

Hochul has denied that she promised to green-light gas pipeline projects in exchange, only saying that she has committed to working with the administration “on new energy projects.” 

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Meanwhile, administration officials have publicly indicated that the governor vowed to support the pipeline projects. 

“I am encouraged by Governor Hochul’s comments about her willingness to move forward on critical pipeline capacity,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in May. “Americans who live in New York and New England would see significant economic benefits and lower utility costs from increased access to reliable, affordable, clean American natural gas.”