"We have been fighting this for over 10 years," area resident Tina VolzBongar said during the rally.
Opponents argued the project would raise costs for ratepayers already struggling with rising expenses.
Santosh Nandabalan of New York Communities for Change said many residents are feeling financial pressure.
"Prices are skyrocketing for everyday people. So if you're someone that struggling to pay rent, struggling to pay for groceries, and looking at your Con Edison bill going up and up, you're pretty concerned," Nandabalan said.
The project, proposed by Enbridge, a Canadian energy company operating pipelines across several states, would increase capacity on the Algonquin Gas Transmission line.
A similar proposal, known as Project Maple, was defeated nearly three years ago. Opponents say the new effort, labeled Project Beacon, is essentially the same plan.
"That's what we should hold to, because it's the same characters and companies that are just coming back under a different name," Volz-Bongar said.
Enbridge has argued that expanding natural gas capacity would lower rates and give more homeowners the option to switch from oil. Critics, however, raised concerns about the pipeline's proximity to Indian Point. The nuclear power plant was decommissioned in 2021 but still stores more than 2,000 tons of spent fuel rods.
Some speakers urged investment in renewable energy instead of fossil fuel infrastructure. Assemblymember Dana Levenberg, a Democrat representing Westchester and Putnam counties, said public funds should support longterm sustainable solutions.
"What we're trying to say is that we need to take the money that we've been investing in fossil fuels and put it into sustainable infrastructure. It's less expensive to build. It does create jobs just the same as well as making sure that it's something that can last for the long term," Levenberg said.
Enbridge is gauging market interest and seeking investors, running an open season auction process from May 18 to July 1, allowing gas utilities and power plants to bid and signal their future energy needs. If approved, the company hopes to have service in place by 2030.
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