New York pipeline project seeks to skip the state's review

And here's a rundown of the first day of session Wednesday.

Good afternoon — It’s Monday and Bird Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• The company behind the Constitution Pipeline, a project planned upstate since 2012, wants to move forward without New York’s approval.

• Here’s what to expect on the first day of the legislative session Wednesday.

• Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado got his first endorsement from a member of the state Legislature in this year’s race for governor Monday.

• A new bill seeks to curb mobile sports betting incentives that can get users hooked on those platforms.

• New York has a fortune-telling statute. Should it be replaced with something new?

• This Week in New York History: The first flying-boat airplane and the first call to London.

Names in today’s CapCon: Donald J. Trump, Kathy Hochul, Vanessa Fajans-Turner, Antonio Delgado, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Rob Ortt, Carl E. Heastie, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Will Barclay, Jabari Brisport, Zohran Mamdani, Liz Krueger, Charles Lavine

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Opponents of Constitution Pipeline in 2016 (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union)

🔥 Constitution Pipeline says it doesn’t need new permits from New York for approval

The company that’s been seeking to construct a new natural gas pipeline through upstate New York for more than a decade is taking a new approach.

The Constitution Pipeline would run from Pennsylvania into the Binghamton area and all the way up to Schoharie County, where it would meet other pipelines. The project has support from President Donald J. Trump.

Supporters, including the company, have argued that the pipeline would stabilize the cost of energy by expanding the supply of natural gas. Gov. Kathy Hochul hasn’t taken a position on the pipeline.

Opponents point to the potential environmental impact of the project and the state’s continued reliance on energy derived from fossil fuels.

It’s a project of Williams, a company whose Northeast Supply Enhancement project pipeline was recently approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The agency said the same day of that pipeline’s approval that Williams had withdrawn its application for water quality permits that would clear the way for the Constitution Pipeline. A letter from the company confirmed its withdrawal.

But the company is now using a procedural maneuver that it argues would allow the project to move forward without those permits. It dates back to when the state previously considered, and rejected, permits for the pipeline.