WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration will celebrate the groundbreaking of the Northeast Supply Enhancement natural gas pipeline at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field in New York City on Tuesday. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Environmental Protection Secretary Lee Zeldin will attend the event hosted by Williams Companies.

The pipeline will extend from Pennsylvania through New Jersey and end on Staten Island and the Rockaways, running off the coast of New York City to boost the region's energy supply. The project expands the existing Transco natural gas pipeline system and is designed to provide 400,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas to serve existing National Grid customers in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island, equivalent to the energy needs of 2.3 million homes.

President Trump strongly backs the project and used his influence to persuade Governor Kathy Hochul to approve permits allowing it to proceed. New York state restarted the approval process after an Oval Office meeting between Hochul and Trump regarding congestion pricing, and the governor approved state permits in November. State regulators had previously denied permits after concerns over water quality, stalling the project for years.

"Under President Donald J. Trump, we're reversing course with projects like the NESE pipeline to unleash American Energy Dominance, lower costs for American consumers, and restore a strong, reliable grid," Burgum said. He claimed China outpaced America's electricity production because past administrations put U.S. energy and national security at risk by burying America's Balance Sheet under red tape. Burgum said the project would spur $1.8 billion in economic development and lower electricity bills by $6 billion over 15 years.

Federal officials said the project will boost reliability during peak winter demand and extreme weather. Natural gas demand in the region surged by 49% since 2013 while pipeline capacity increased by 26% and storage capacity by 2%. The pipeline will be installed at a minimum of four feet below the seafloor through jet trenching, clamshell dredging, backfilling, and horizontal directional drilling.

Environmental groups opposed the project. "We are facing war against clean energy from Washington Republicans, including our New York delegation, which is why we have adopted an all-of-the-above approach that includes a continued commitment to renewables and nuclear power to ensure grid reliability and affordability," Hochul said.