Con Edison declared a temporary moratorium on new or increased firm natural gas service across much of Westchester County starting March 15, 2019, and it stayed in effect until the utility lifted it on December 1, 2023. The hold responded to interstate pipeline capacity limits during peak winter demand, and New York's Public Service Commission now requires formal customer protections around any future gas moratorium.
TL;DR:
- The gas capacity gap in Westchester was caused by pipeline delivery limits during peak demand, not a shortage of the fuel itself.
- The moratorium was lifted in December 2023 due to capacity from the Tennessee East 300 project and revised demand forecasts.
- Future gas moratoria will require explicit PSC approval, transparency, and earlier data reporting on affected communities.
- Even after lifting, each new gas project requires a feasibility check, pressure verification, and cannot assume immediate connection.
- Electrification options, including heat pumps and efficiency upgrades, are actively promoted as alternatives during capacity shortages.
Table of Contents
- What happened: the 2018 to 2023 timeline
- Why it happened: pipeline bottlenecks, not a fuel shortage
- Who was affected and what protections applied
- If you need gas now: what to actually do
- Alternatives and programs worth checking before you build
- Policy outlook: how future moratoria will be managed
- A practical checklist for project teams and building owners
- What this moratorium should teach us going forward
- How we can help with your project
- FAQ
- Sources
What happened: the 2018 to 2023 timeline
Con Edison began forecasting a Westchester supply gap in late 2018, built around peak-day pipeline deliveries rather than total annual gas supply. When the numbers held through the following winter, the utility declared the moratorium on March 15, 2019, freezing new hookups and any increase in firm gas load across the affected service territory.
During the hold, Con Edison ran an Open Application Period so prospective customers could register interest, staffed a Moratorium Ombudsman Office for applicant questions, and sent regular updates to contractors and elected officials. The utility notified the Department of Public Service on November 16, 2023, that it would end the moratorium effective December 1, 2023, citing capacity from the Tennessee East 300 project and a revised, lower peak-demand forecast.
- March 15, 2019: moratorium declared for new or increased firm gas service in Westchester.
- November 16, 2023: Con Edison files notice to end the moratorium.
- December 1, 2023: moratorium officially lifted.
Lifting the moratorium reopened the door to applications. It did not mean an automatic meter install; each project still needed its own feasibility check.
Why it happened: pipeline bottlenecks, not a fuel shortage
A gas moratorium is a delivery problem, not a production one. The EIA's analysis of Northeast pipeline constraints found that regional winter demand was using most or all of the pipeline capacity serving Northeast demand centers, even when national gas production was ample elsewhere.
Utilities serve two tiers of customers: firm, who get guaranteed delivery, and interruptible, whose supply can be curtailed during tight periods. A moratorium on new firm connections protects the service already promised to existing firm customers rather than spreading scarce peak-day capacity thinner. The EIA's framing makes the mechanism clear: transport bottlenecks into demand centers, not upstream shortages, create local constraints, and new receipt points or added compression can resolve them even when regional output stays flat.
That is exactly what changed in Westchester. The Tennessee East 300 project added pipeline capacity, and Con Edison's updated peak forecast showed the gap had narrowed enough to lift the hold.
Who was affected and what protections applied
The moratorium blocked new gas service applications and any increase in an existing customer's firm load. It did not touch service already flowing to existing residential or commercial accounts; nobody already connected lost heat or hot water because of the hold.
New York's Public Service Commission has since formalized how utilities must handle a moratorium, through its order adopting a natural gas Customer Bill of Rights. Key elements include:
- Advance notification timelines so affected customers and applicants learn about a moratorium before it blind sides a project.
- Clear information on non-pipeline alternatives, so applicants know their options beyond waiting for new gas capacity.
- Reporting requirements covering low- and moderate-income customers and disadvantaged communities, so regulators can track who bears the impact.
- Tariff amendments that spell out the criteria a utility must meet before declaring a moratorium at all.
PSC Chair Rory M. Christian has described a moratorium as a last step, not a first option, meaning utilities are expected to exhaust planning and non-pipeline measures first. During the Westchester moratorium, Con Edison's obligations included publishing affected-area maps, running the ombudsman office, notifying contractors directly, and briefing elected officials on status changes.
If you need gas now: what to actually do
Before assuming service is available, confirm current status directly. Con Edison's customer service line and moratorium-related webpages track open versus restricted areas, and the ombudsman function set up during the Westchester hold is the right contact for application-specific questions.
- Check the utility's current moratorium or service-area status before finalizing any gas-dependent design.
- Submit a formal service application rather than relying on a verbal assurance from a contractor or prior tenant.
- Expect a feasibility review covering pressure, main capacity, and load, even in areas where the moratorium has lifted.
- Build permitting timelines around utility confirmation, not around the optimistic end of that range.
A lifted moratorium reopens applications; it does not guarantee immediate connection. Feasibility checks, pressure confirmation, and permitting all still apply project by project.
Pro Tip: Request an updated, dated feasibility letter from the utility before locking a gas-based mechanical design, since older letters tied to pre-lift forecasts may no longer reflect current capacity.
Alternatives and programs worth checking before you build
Electrification is the main non-pipeline alternative the PSC points to when gas capacity is tight. Heat pumps and high-efficiency electric appliances reduce or eliminate the need for new firm gas load, which is precisely the constraint a moratorium targets.
Several programs exist specifically to lower the cost and friction of that switch:
- NYSERDA runs incentive programs, including efforts tied to the Westchester Clean Energy Investment Program, aimed at helping residents and building owners adopt electric heating and efficiency upgrades.
- Utility and state rebate programs change often, so check current offerings before budgeting a retrofit rather than relying on figures from a prior year.
- Retrofit costs depend heavily on existing electrical capacity, building envelope condition, and whether new panel or service upgrades are needed alongside the heat pump itself.
For building owners weighing a retrofit against waiting on gas service, the permitting and procurement timeline for an electrification project is often more predictable than waiting on pipeline capacity additions outside your control.
Policy outlook: how future moratoria will be managed
The PSC's March 2026 order sets clearer rules for any future gas moratorium. Utilities now need Public Service Commission approval of tariff language defining the specific criteria that justify a moratorium, rather than declaring one on internal forecasts alone.
The order also requires utilities to report data on low- and moderate-income customers and disadvantaged communities before and during any moratorium, giving regulators and the public earlier visibility into who is affected. The clear expectation going forward: utilities pursue demand reduction and non-pipeline alternatives first, publish supporting data earlier, and treat a moratorium as the last resort rather than a routine planning tool.
A practical checklist for project teams and building owners
When gas service is constrained or recently restored after a moratorium, we recommend building a short verification sequence into every project: written utility confirmation of available capacity, on-site pressure and load validation, and permit sequencing that doesn't assume gas service until the utility signs off in writing.
It is also worth scoping flexibility early: electrification-ready mechanical room layouts, space for future equipment changes, and clear coordination with the NYC Department of Buildings, FDNY, and local plumbing contractors keep a project moving even if gas availability shifts mid-design. As a mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering firm, we build this verification step into our project sequencing as a matter of course.
What this moratorium should teach us going forward
The Westchester moratorium worked because the data behind it, however imperfect at first, eventually became transparent enough for regulators, utilities, and the public to track together. That is the real lesson: a moratorium is a planning tool, and planning tools fail when the underlying forecasts stay hidden until a crisis forces disclosure.
Project teams that engage utilities early, and building owners who treat electrification as a parallel option rather than a last resort, come out ahead regardless of how the next capacity forecast lands. We have seen this play out across the projects we design, and it shapes how we advise clients navigating constrained gas conditions today.
— Joseph
How we can help with your project
When gas service is uncertain, the real risk isn't the moratorium itself, it's designing around assumptions that change before your permit clears. We handle the mechanical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering that keeps a project moving regardless of which fuel path it ends up on, including mechanical engineering design, plumbing engineering, and fire suppression engineering.
We also handle NYC permit filing and agency coordination directly, so your application reflects current utility feasibility rather than outdated assumptions. If your project touches gas service questions in New York City, Long Island, or Westchester County, reach out through our services page to start an evaluation.
FAQ
Which states are currently banning natural gas?
No state has a blanket ban on natural gas service; some states and cities restrict gas hookups in new construction through building codes rather than utility moratoria. New York's Westchester moratorium was a utility-specific, temporary hold tied to pipeline capacity, not a statewide gas ban.
How long will it take for us to run out of gas?
Gas moratoria reflect local pipeline delivery limits during winter peak demand, not a depletion of the fuel supply itself. The EIA's analysis of Northeast pipeline constraints found that regional demand strains transport capacity into cities, which new pipeline projects or demand reduction can resolve.
Is propane going to be banned in New York?
There is no statewide ban on propane in New York; the Westchester gas moratorium applied specifically to Con Edison's natural gas firm service, not to propane. Propane remains a separate fuel option for residents and businesses outside areas affected by natural gas delivery constraints.
Will natural gas be phased out?
New York's regulators are pushing utilities toward non-pipeline alternatives like electrification before authorizing future gas moratoria, but there is no statewide timeline eliminating natural gas service. The PSC's 2026 order focuses on managing moratoria transparently rather than mandating a full phase-out.
Is the Con Edison Westchester gas moratorium still in effect?
No, Con Edison lifted the Westchester moratorium effective December 1, 2023, after filing notice with the Department of Public Service on November 16, 2023. New applications are open, though each one still requires its own utility feasibility check before service is connected.