Permissive Disruption

This Week's Trend In Brief:

• Williams Companies’ revival of two natural gas pipelines in New York came just days after the Trump Administration reversed course on Empire Wind, leaving activists on both sides of the energy debate stunned and mobilizing for renewed fights on both fronts.

   

• Professional activists who helped defeat the pipelines in 2019 are reassembling their coalitions, while offshore wind opponents across the Northeast have already filed a legal challenge against Empire Wind.

   

• Activists on both sides of the energy spectrum view these approvals not as victories, but as opening shots, reviving the same legal, grassroots, and public pressure tactics that have derailed both fossil fuel and renewable projects in recent years from the left and the right.

   

• For companies counting on a more infrastructure-friendly administration and environment, early approvals and backing may prove deceptive, serving less as green lights and more as flashpoints for coordinated, high-stakes opposition.

   

• Even with political support, energy projects now face a confrontational landscape where sophisticated opposition turns permitting into a prolonged campaign, demanding that public affairs teams anticipate risks, engage stakeholders, and stay strategically ahead to avoid costly delays.

Digging Deeper:

In late May, Williams Companies announced the revival of plans to build two natural gas pipelines in New York State in a major reversal following years of activist opposition to the projects. The move to revive the pipeline plans came a week after the Trump Administration withdrew its opposition to Empire Wind, a major offshore wind project off the coast of Long Island, following weeks of lobbying by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The Administration’s decision to reverse course on Empire Wind and Hochul’s cooperation on the natural gas pipelines left climate activists and offshore wind opponents alike stunned, and already mobilizing for renewed fights on both fronts. While the Trump Administration’s reversal and Hochul’s pivot may signal a new era of permitting politics, these projects now face a gauntlet of legal challenges, activist campaigns, and reputational threats that could stall or sink them entirely.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, once backed by pipeline opponents, is now working with the Trump Administration to advance infrastructure projects that “meet the legal requirements” under New York law, which now include the very pipelines her base long resisted. Hochul was Lieutenant Governor when the projects were initially blocked by environmental groups, who mobilized mass protests and activism in 2019 targeting the projects’ water permits. While Hochul was publicly circumspect about working with the Trump Administration, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that he was “encouraged by Governor Hochul’s comments about her willingness to move forward on critical pipeline capacity.” In a striking realignment, Hochul argued that the pipelines “could help lower energy costs” and urged residents to “Consider the benefits at a time when energy prices are through the roof and families in every corner of our state are suffering high bills for groceries and utilities.” However, the same activist networks that derailed the pipelines in 2019 are already mobilizing to reignite their fight, preparing to escalate their opposition through protest, pressure, and the courts.

After stopping Williams’ pipelines in 2019 with a potent mix of public pressure, local mobilization, and scientific research, climate activists are once again preparing for a renewed fight as the projects reenter the regulatory process. Food & Water Watch is already mobilizing against the pipelines, declaring that Hochul may have “struck a deal with Donald Trump,” but “we have plans to stop her.” The group is rallying supporters to attend an event “to learn more about Hochul's despicable deal with Trump and how to take action and get involved in a statewide campaign to these dangerous proposals.” Mark Izeman, a senior strategist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, noted that the projects “will once again be met with stiff and deep resistance in the region — and would inevitably end up in protracted legal battles.” Indeed, as the regulatory approval process intensifies, the projects will likely face staunch opposition from a well-funded and sophisticated environmental movement that has increasingly employed litigation as a tool to delay or halt projects.

At the same time, Hochul is touting the Trump Administration’s Empire Wind reversal as a major clean energy win, promising jobs and power for hundreds of thousands, while offshore wind opponents are already mobilizing to stop it. Following the Trump Administration’s reversal on Empire Wind, Clean Ocean Action (COA) accused officials of capitulating to “Hochul’s demands to reinstate the paused project off the Jersey Shore without any new protections or improvements for the ocean.” Now, COA is part of a coalition of activist groups and fishing businesses that has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the project. The coalition is requesting that Burgum reinstate the stop work order, alleging that the project “was pushed forward without the science, scrutiny, or stakeholder-input required by law.” Protect Our Coast NJ President Robin Shaffer, whose group is a party to the suit, even declared, “Fishermen and environmentalists are united; this project must be stopped.” As legal challenges mount and activist coalitions harden on both fronts, Empire Wind – and the revived pipeline projects – now face entrenched opposition that could delay, derail, or redefine the future of energy infrastructure in the region.

Even with high-level political backing, these projects are entering a landscape defined not by certainty, but by confrontation. The return of sophisticated, well-networked opposition, armed with experience, legal muscle, and public pressure tactics, means that permitting battles are no longer just procedural hurdles but long-term campaigns. For energy companies navigating this shifting landscape, political support alone is no longer a guarantee of progress. Public affairs professionals must be prepared with proactive strategies to understand the full stakeholder landscape, anticipate emerging risks, and build the systems necessary to stay ahead of opposition that is growing more agile and aggressive. The pipeline revival and Hochul’s reversal may signal a new era in permitting politics, one in which Trump’s federal agencies wield infrastructure approvals as strategic leverage, reshaping energy priorities not just in blue states but nationwide. If that leverage becomes the norm, companies must be prepared not just for opposition, but for high-stakes battles that could shape not only the fate of individual projects, but the direction of entire state energy agendas.

Trends in Energy is your weekly look at key trends affecting the energy industry, brought to you by the competitive intelligence experts at Delve. As the political and regulatory landscape continues to shift, reach out to learn how our insights can help you navigate these challenges.