Why New York approved a controversial natural gas pipeline

And Hochul and Democrats have reached a three-way deal on a pair of bills.

Good afternoon — It’s Friday and Whiskey Day.

• New York outlined its reasoning for approving the controversial NESE pipeline in a new court filing this week.

• Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats in the state Legislature have reached a three-way deal on a pair of health care bills.

• Budget Brief: Hochul is getting support for her proposed changes to the state’s Climate Act mandates from co-op and condo owners in New York City.

• New Bills of Note: Senate Health Chair Gustavo Rivera has introduced legislation to address the loss of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.

• Bills on the Move: A bill to allow body scanners in youth detention facilities has cleared a key hurdle and both chambers have passed a bill to require health insurance coverage of lactation consulting services.

Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Gustavo Rivera, Carl E. Heastie, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Erik Dilan, Jamaal Bailey, Amy Paulin, Toby Ann Stavisky, Jane Menton, Andrew Hevesi, James Skoufis, Julia Salazar, Luis Sepulveda,

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(Jim Franco/Times Union)

⚖️ New York defends permit approval for controversial NESE pipeline

When New York decided in November to approve permits for a controversial natural gas pipeline to run from New Jersey to Queens, environmental advocates were stunned.

New York had previously rejected permits for the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project. Based on those prior rejections, the advocates decided to ask a federal appellate court to invalidate the state’s approval of the pipeline last year.

The case is now before the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, where attorneys for New York filed a brief this week outlining the state’s justification for its approval of the pipeline’s permits.