This Oklahoma Senator Stands to Profit From the Permitting Bill He’s Pushing
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma entered the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy in March with a clear priority: pass permitting reform that he argued was necessary based on his experience leading a major natural gas pipeline company. Now, […]
Oklahoma Senator Alan Armstrong, who recently took office to fill a Senate vacancy in March, has a clear objective: to push for permitting reform based on his experience leading a major natural gas pipeline company. As Armstrong prepares to leave office, this objective is becoming a reality with the bipartisan permitting bill, which is set for a vote next week.
This bill aims to overhaul regulations for building various projects, but it also includes provisions advocated by Armstrong that could expedite the construction of a disputed pipeline, the Constitution pipeline, that Williams Companies, his previous employer, has been attempting to build in New York for over a decade. In 2016, state regulators denied a water quality permit for the Constitution pipeline, marking a rare setback for an industry unaccustomed to such rejections.
The new bill would limit New York's authority to deny the pipeline again, allowing Williams to request federal approval. Armstrong still holds tens of millions of dollars in Williams stock as of October 22, and he has also hired former Williams colleagues to his Senate staff. Environmental lawyers argue that certain changes in the bill, particularly on Section 401 certifications of the federal Clean Water Act, are designed to benefit small gas pipeline projects, with Williams being one of the major beneficiaries.
The Trump administration has given strong backing to the pipeline, with the EPA Administrator pledging support and the DOE allocating funds for permitting costs. However, local residents in upstate New York view the situation differently, with Anne Marie Garti, a homeowner near the pipeline route, opposing the project due to potential harms to 251 streams and the associated ecosystem.
In 2016, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation denied the permit, citing insufficient proof of compliance with state standards, and another denial occurred in 2019 for a second Williams project.
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