That giant sucking sound is cash being vacuumed out of ratepayer’s pockets and into the coffers of fossil fuel oligarchs, and oligarch wannabees like Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
As the PBS piece above explains, electricity prices in New England are high. Currently, Rhode Island, and Connecticut are among the most expensive states for electricity, relying heavily on gas and nuclear power. That combination would be, purportedly, the ideal fuel mix if you believe the blathering of Wright and others in this oil addled administration.
In the real world, not so much.
EIA residential Electricity prices by state, ranked.
We know why Hawaii is high, because fossil fuels have to be entirely brought in by sea. We know why California is high – because of the burden that wildfires have put on the transmission system, parts of which are now being undergrounded, following lawsuits from ratepayers and fire victims.
New England’s prices are jacked due to constraints in natural gas pipelines, and the Trump administration has used it’s threat to wind projects like New York’s Empire Wind, to blackmail states into accepting gas pipelines that residents do not want. (remember, DOE Sec Wright is a gas guy, having made millions founding a fracking services company)
The entire Mid Atlantic area is also subject to high prices, which would be mitigated with more offshore wind. Once you understand those dynamics, it all makes sense.
That’s the story in New York State, although the Governor denies it.
Draw your own conclusion.
LET’S MAKE AN ENERGY DEAL: Gov. Kathy Hochul may have poked a hole in New York’s long standing pipeline blockade.
The governor celebrated the revival of one critically endangered energy resource last night as President Donald Trump allowed the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project to restart construction, POLITICO Pro reported. It faced uncertainty after the White House ordered the company to stop work on the fully permitted project last month.
Hochul also alluded obliquely to working with the federal government and private companies on “new energy projects that meet the legal requirements under New York law.” The governor told Newsday’s The Point that she indicated to Trump she was willing to approve pipelines if they met state and federal requirements.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum hours later praised Hochul in a post on X for her openness to new gas infrastructure.
“I am encouraged by Governor Hochul’s comments about her willingness to move forward on critical pipeline capacity,” he wrote. “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.”
There was no explicit offshore wind for pipeline tradeoff, according to Hochul’s office. “No deal was reached on any gas pipeline,” said Hochul spokesperson Paul DeMichele.
Still, the remarks raised alarm for some environmental advocates who want Hochul to keep the door closed to new gas pipelines, which they argue undermine the state’s climate law.
“If she goes down the path of exploring or, God forbid, approving pipelines, she should know that New Yorkers will make her life miserable until she’s compelled to do the right thing,” said Laura Shindell, New York director at Food and Water Watch.
While New York’s anti-fracking movement hasn’t been as active in recent years, advocates spent years hounding former Gov. Andrew Cuomo at nearly every public event to block hydraulic fracturing and pipelines.
Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of building a pipeline through New York, including reviving the Constitution Pipeline. Williams Co. dropped plans for that project in 2020, years after New York first denied a permit because of water quality concerns.
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