Trump administration commits up to $42M to revive stalled Northeast natural gas pipeline

Key Points:

• The Trump administration is allocating up to $42 million in federal funding to support the revival of the Constitution Pipeline, a natural gas project connecting Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale to New York and Northeast energy markets.
• The funding, provided under the Defense Production Act, aims to assist with permitting and pre-construction efforts, with hopes to begin construction by spring 2026 and have the pipeline operational by winter 2028.
• The 125-mile pipeline is designed to transport up to 650,000 dekatherms of natural gas daily, addressing regional energy supply constraints and high winter demand that have previously led to increased reliance on petroleum in the Northeast.
• Originally proposed in 2012 and federally approved in 2014, the project was stalled due to regulatory challenges, including a 2016 denial of a water-quality certification by New York, but has been revived with renewed federal and state regulatory processes underway.
• The initiative responds to rising energy costs and supply issues in the Northeast, where heating oil prices are forecasted to increase significantly this winter, impacting households reliant on heating oil.