BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — National Fuel has confirmed to 7 News that it is no longer pursuing its plan for the Northern Access Pipeline.
The plan, which faced opposition from residents and environmentalists when it was proposed nearly 10 years ago, was to build a nearly 100-mile natural gas pipeline that would stretch from McKean County Pennsylvania through western New York and into Erie County.
National Fuel said a significant increase in projected costs and the ongoing challenges of developing natural gas pipelines in New York state led it to no longer pursue the plan.
You can read the full statement National Fuel issued to 7 News below:
“National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation and Empire Pipeline, Inc. no longer intend to pursue an extension of the Northern Access Project’s FERC certificate, which expires at the end of the calendar year. When originally developed 10 years ago, this project was the company’s” Plan A” to move Seneca Resources Company’s growing production from the Pennsylvania Basin in 2017, we quickly transitioned to “Plan B” – the FM100 project, a Pennsylvania-based project completed in 2021 that moves Seneca’s production to the Transco system. Meanwhile, the company continued to operate Northern Access because we believed the region needed more pipeline infrastructure to meet growing demand and we had a FERC-certified project that would deliver significant volumes to New York State and connected markets.Due to years of litigation over key regulatory approvals, we never put shovels in the ground Earlier this summer, that lawsuit was settled favorably in court, which led us to take another look at the project. At the end of the day and nearly 10 years later, a significant increase in anticipated project costs coupled with the ongoing challenges of natural gas pipeline development in New York led us to decide to suspend further project development efforts.”
You can also find a PowerPoint on the project from National Fuel 2017 below.
