In a rousing victory for environmentalists, on May 15th the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation rejected the proposal of the Oklahoma based Williams Companies to lay a 37 mile liquid natural gas pipeline through New York harbor and the New Jersey/New York Raritan watershed. Citing concerns related to copper and mercury contamination that would occur during construction of the pipeline, the DEC note that construction of the project would result in “violations of water quality standards” and that the project as a whole failed to meet New York State’s rigorous water quality standards. Officials in New Jersey must also weigh in on the project in June.