Reuters is reporting the New York Department of Environmental Conservation May 15, denied a water permit for the Williams natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania to New York City. The DEC ruled the project would not meet the state's rigorous water quality standards. The project includes an offshore pipe between New Jersey and Long Island and is expected to cost about $1 billion. It could enter service in time for the winter 2021 heating season. Williams said in an email it was disappointed with the decision. After New York regulators denied the project water certification in 2019, National Grid, which had agreed to buy gas from the Williams pipeline, imposed a moratorium in on signing new customers, claiming it would not have enough gas to supply existing and new customers without the pipe. In response to National Grid's actions, Governor Andrew Cuomo threatened to revoke National Grid’s license to operate its gas utility. National Grid eventually agreed to end the moratorium. Williams did not immediately say what its next steps would be now that the water permit has been denied. Read the full story at reuters [dot] com.