What’s going on? 

A company called Williams/Transco is trying to build a pipeline bringing so-called “natural gas” from Pennsylvania to New York State. The pipeline will be dug in the seabed under the water, close to the coast of Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the Rockaways. The pipeline is called Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Pipeline. 

In order to get built, NESE needs New York State to approve it, by giving it a “Water Quality Certificate. Climate Families is against this project, because it will harm water quality, marine life, and contribute to the climate crisis. We are telling New York state NOT to approve NESE’s water quality permit.

What you can do: 

Handwrite or type a letter to Ms. Sandrow, at the New York Department of Conservation. In your message, you should: 

1. Write the words: “Please reject the water quality permit for the NESE pipeline.” 

2. Give one reason (or more!) that you don’t want the pipeline. For example, you can write:

• NESE will cause water pollution by stirring up toxins buried under the sea, like lead, arsenic, copper, mercury, PCBs, and dioxin. These toxins are very bad for human health: they can cause cancer and development delays in children. 

• Because of pollution, the pipeline could make it unsafe to swim at the beach.

• The toxins that are harmful to human health are also bad for animals like fish, turtles, birds and whales. 

• The noise and vibrations from the digging could also drive away animals who live in our harbor or migrate through it. 

• It is likely that ships used to build the pipeline will collide with endangered species like the right whale, sei whale, Kemp’s Ridley titles and green turtles, injuring or even killing them. 

• I am worried about the climate crisis. Building new fossil fuel infrastructure is violation of our state’s climate law. 

3. Sign your letter with your name, age and zipcode.

Finally, submit your letter! Send a picture of your letter to info@climatefamilies.org, or email it directly to DEPEnergy@dec.ny.gov.

*NOTE: This guide is intended for kids who are 9 to 13, to oppose the North Pipeline. Older teens (and adults!) can submit their comments using stopwilliamsnesepipeline.org.