As leaders who are dedicated to empowering New York’s most vulnerable neighbors, we spend our days thinking about how to make life more livable for families under the most extreme pressure in the country’s most expensive region. Every conversation we have with the families that we serve centers on one word: affordability. Families are being stretched to the breaking point, and increasingly, energy costs are part of the squeeze.
The numbers tell a painful story. Fifty percent 50% of New York City households, and 33% of Long Island households struggle to meet basic needs, even though most of those households include a working adult. Since 2000, the cost of raising a young family of four in New York has increased by an astonishing 131%, while wages have risen only 71%, according to United Way’s True Cost of Living report. Put simply, too many of our neighbors can’t get by without outside help.
Energy costs aren’t just another bill. They decide whether a senior can keep the heat on during a frigid January night, or whether a small business can make payroll instead of shutting its doors. That’s why, despite loud, often uninformed voices on social media, the state must make the smart choice for New Yorkers and approve the development of the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project, a necessary investment in New York’s energy infrastructure.
NESE is not an abstract engineering project – it’s a lifeline. By increasing natural gas capacity, NESE will ensure that families and businesses have reliable access to affordable energy. Experts anticipate the project could save New Yorkers up to $6 billion over the next 15 years, shielding households from unexpected price spikes. With more than one million households in New York City and on Long Island receiving assistance to pay their heating bills, we need to embrace any solution that can save families money.
But this is about more than bills. It’s about jobs and stability. The project itself will create over 3,100 good-paying jobs and generate nearly $24 million in GDP. For working families across the region, that’s significant. And let’s be candid: if small businesses – the backbone of our communities – can’t keep their lights on, then we will see fewer jobs in many other sectors.
Some argue that natural gas isn’t renewable and that investing in pipelines will delay the clean energy future we all want. Let’s be clear: we share their vision of a renewable-powered New York State and we also believe that New York State must resume implementation of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. But we must also face reality. The NESE pipeline is already partially built and could be completed within a short time. Our communities cannot wait for long-term projects that remain stalled and may not be completed until the next decade. Families need a solution that can make energy more affordable now.
This is not an “either/or” choice. Governor Kathy Hochul has wisely embraced a practical “all-of-the-above” strategy, where renewables, increased energy efficiency, and reliable natural gas complement one another. Natural gas is not a permanent solution. But since natural gas emits 30% fewer emissions than oil and 50% fewer than coal, it is a much cleaner alternative for electricity production until wind, solar, thermal energy and other renewables scale to meet ever-rising demand.
Energy is not a luxury. When the lights go out, so does all of the opportunity we have collectively worked towards. When energy bills soar, so does poverty.
The affordability crisis is too urgent to wait. NESE is a pragmatic, compassionate step forward that will ease the burden on working families, stabilize small businesses, and prepare us for the future we’re building together. New Yorkers deserve solutions that work today and tomorrow. This project is one of them.
Grace C. Bonilla is the President and CEO of United Way of New York City. Theresa A. Regnante is the President and CEO of United Way of Long Island.
