TOMORROW, May 8, 12:00pm – Midtown Manhattan
New York, NY – Tomorrow morning, New Yorkers will rally outside Governor Cuomo’s office delivering over 19,000 petition signatures urging New York to deny state permits for the proposed Williams fracked gas pipeline ahead of next week’s May 16th deadline.
The rally follows the May 3 approval of the pipeline by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which is known as a rubber stamp for the fossil fuel industry, putting the all eyes on Cuomo and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to stop the project.
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, a strong critic of the pipeline, released a letter to ConEd demanding evidence to support the company’s argument that it would be forced to institute a moratorium on new gas service if the Williams pipeline is not approved. As Stringer put it, “It is incumbent on Con Edison to transparently explain why the city’s gas demand could not be met by embracing non-pipeline alternatives like promoting energy efficiency and transitioning to renewable energy and electrification.”
In response to Comptroller Stringer’s letter, the Stop the Williams Pipeline Collation released the following statement:
“We thank Comptroller Scott Stringer for standing up to the utilities and pipeline company that are holding our energy needs hostage. We now ask Governor Cuomo to do the same, to protect our waters and secure a livable future by rejecting this unnecessary and dangerous pipeline.”
WHAT: Petition delivery and “theater of the absurd showdown” between Trump & Williams v.s. New Yorkers. Giant pipeline prop to show what’s at stake in the fight to stop the Williams Pipeline.
WHEN: TOMORROW, Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at 12:00pmET
WHERE: Outside Governor Cuomo’s Office, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
WHO: Stop the Williams Pipeline Coalition: New York Communities for Change, Food & Water Watch, 350Brooklyn, 350.org, Surfrider NYC Chapter, Sane Energy Project and Rockaway Beach Civic Association
WHY: Williams is proposing a controversial “Northeast Supply Enhancement” (NESE) project to build a 24-mile fracked gas pipeline from New Jersey into New York Harbor, passing a mile and a half from Staten Island and less than four miles from Rockaway Beach, the very communities most devastated and still recovering from Superstorm Sandy. This is in solidarity with communities across New Jersey urging Governor Phil Murphy to oppose the pipeline.
Opposition to the pipeline is widespread and growing, with over 60 elected officials, 19,000+ New Yorkers, and more than 250 organizations demanding Governor Cuomo commit to a Green New Deal and stop the Williams fracked gas pipeline.
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For more information, explore media pack and visit www.StopTheWilliamsPipeline.org
Contact: Lindsay Meiman, lindsay@350.org, +1 (347) 460-9082