Gov. Andrew Cuomo passed the buck on the Williams Pipeline proposal to the state Legislature, leaving lawmakers scratching their heads, because they lack the authority to approve or kill the project.

With the city and Long Island facing a dire shortage of natural gas, one proposed solution is to permit Williams, a Midwest energy company, to build a $1 billion pipeline into the city.

“It’s a very controversial proposal,” Cuomo said in a radio interview last week with Jay Oliver on Long Island News Radio.

“And that’s a political decision on the pipeline, and it will probably come down to the state Legislature.”

The remark generated confusion on both sides of the aisle in Albany, as only the Cuomo-controlled Department of Environmental Conservation — not state lawmakers — has the authority to OK the project .

“This is clearly up to the governor’s agency,” said state Sen. Phil Boyle (R–Suffolk).

The agency acknowledged that “approval of the specific pipeline is up to [the] DEC.”