Six Democratic state senators from Long Island broke with the Cuomo administration to call for the approval of a proposed pipeline expansion project that would provide much-needed boost to the region’s natural gas supply.

In an Oct. 2 letter, the senators urged the Department of Environmental Conservation to approve the 24-mile pipeline known as the Northeast Supply Enhancement project. The DEC previously declined to issue key permits for the project, which forced  utilities in the region to impose moratoriums on new natural gas connections as a result of supply constraints.

“We write to you to urge you to approve …

It’s been two and a half years since the Dakota Access Pipeline was placed into service and the benefits of the $3.8 billion project continue to prove its value to North Dakota.

The pipeline, which connects the Bakken oil patch to the U.S. Gulf Coast, has substantially lowered transportation costs for producers and made Bakken oil more competitive with other producing regions like West Texas’ Permian Basin. Moving Bakken oil by train cost producers as much as $25 a barrel, while sending it through the Dakota Access Pipeline is estimated to be below $10 a barrel, according to Lynn Helms, …