The U.S. Energy Department will spend up to $42 million in Defense Production Act money to restart work on the Constitution Pipeline, a natural gas line from Pennsylvania to New York that stalled for years over a state water permit.
The department announced the funding Monday in a news release. The Daily Caller and Fox Business reported on the plan Tuesday.
What the money pays for
- Before construction: Environmental reviews, engineering, site preparation and other costs of getting required permits.
- After permits: Related natural gas infrastructure, once the project clears its approvals.
- Where it comes from: A $1 billion fund Congress set aside for energy projects tied to national security. A 2026 presidential determination lists natural gas pipelines, processing and storage as essential to national defense.
The pipeline
The 30-inch line would run about 125 miles from Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, through Broome, Chenango and Delaware counties in New York and end in Schoharie County, New York, according to the Energy Department project page. Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC, is the developer. The developer estimates the work could support about 2,500 direct and indirect jobs.
Williams Companies, which is developing the line, is aiming for service in late 2028, pending approvals, Fox Business reported. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told Fox Business he hopes construction starts next spring.
“Despite America having an abundant supply of low-cost natural gas, tens of millions of Americans have limited access to this reliable energy source due to a lack of pipeline infrastructure,” Wright said in the release.
Years of delays
Federal regulators approved the pipeline in 2014. New York denied a key water-quality certification in 2016, and the developers dropped the project in 2020 after years of legal fights, Fox Business reported. The company asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in December 2025 to reissue its federal certificate.
The project still faces federal and state reviews. New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation has disputed claims that it gave up its authority to review the line, the Daily Caller reported. Environmental groups have raised concerns about wetlands, streams and forests along the route.
Vice President JD Vance said last week the administration has also used the law to expand a refinery in Tyler, Texas. iSEARK.com covered that in this report.
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy release and project page; The Daily Caller; Fox Business.
