The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has pledged up to $42 million to advance the proposed 125-mile Constitution Pipeline, which would carry natural gas from Pennsylvania to New York and expand supplies to northeastern markets.
Announced October 19, 2026, the funding will support engineering, environmental reviews, site preparation and permitting rather than full pipeline construction. The project, abandoned in 2020 after years of regulatory disputes, is seeking renewed federal authorization, with construction still dependent on outstanding approvals.
Constitution Pipeline Company LLC is developing the project, which would cross Susquehanna County in Pennsylvania and Broome, Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties in New York. The proposed 30-inch pipeline would connect Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale gas-producing region with existing interstate transmission infrastructure.
The pipeline is designed to transport up to 650,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day. The DOE’s $42 million commitment will help advance project development and permitting, rather than cover the full cost of construction.
Pipeline Revival Follows Years of Permitting Disputes
Constitution received its original federal certificate in December 2014 but never entered construction.
A major setback came in April 2016, when the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation denied the project’s water-quality certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. The certification was among the approvals required for construction to proceed.
The decision triggered years of regulatory and legal disputes. Constitution argued that New York had waived its authority to issue the certification by failing to act within the applicable statutory period. The dispute became a central obstacle to the project, which the developer abandoned in 2020.
The revival gained momentum in 2025 as the Trump administration renewed its push to advance stalled natural gas infrastructure in the Northeast. Williams, a major U.S. natural gas infrastructure company associated with the project, said it was working with federal and state regulators to advance Constitution and other previously canceled pipeline proposals.
On December 19, 2025, Constitution Pipeline Company filed a petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) seeking reissuance of its certificate authorizing construction and operation. The filing sought to revive the original proposal, with facilities largely matching the previously approved design, subject to limited changes.
Related Compressor Project Forms Part of the Revival
The pipeline’s proposed restart is linked to the Wright Interconnect Project, developed by Iroquois Gas Transmission System LP. That project would add compression facilities at Iroquois’ existing Wright Compressor Station in Schoharie County, New York.
The proposed work includes approximately 21,800 horsepower of additional compression capacity intended to support the connection between Constitution and existing gas transmission facilities.
Iroquois filed its own petition for certificate reissuance on February 13, 2026. FERC subsequently reviewed the two proposals together and published an environmental assessment on August 26, 2026, examining potential environmental effects and mitigation measures. The agency set September 21 as the deadline for public comments.
The environmental assessment marks an important step in the renewed review, but it does not itself authorize construction. The developers must still satisfy applicable federal and state requirements before the projects can proceed.
Federal Funding Targets Energy Security and Affordability
The DOE is using Title III of the Defense Production Act (DPA), which allows federal support for domestic industrial capabilities considered important to national defense.
The department said the funding supports a broader federal effort to strengthen energy security and expand access to natural gas. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the pipeline could reduce energy costs and help limit blackout risks during periods of peak electricity demand. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said additional gas infrastructure could benefit households and businesses across the Northeast.
Those savings remain projections advanced by the administration. The funding announcement did not provide an independently verified estimate of consumer savings or quantify the pipeline’s expected impact on regional electricity prices.
Construction cost
A revised total construction cost has not been verified in the official project materials reviewed. Williams’ project page lists the fourth quarter of 2026 as the target for reinstating the FERC certificate and the fourth quarter of 2028 as the target for placing the pipeline into service. Those dates are developer targets, not guarantees of approval or completion.
The DOE’s funding commitment adds federal financial support to the effort to revive Constitution. Whether the project reaches construction will depend on regulatory decisions, completion of the required approvals and the developer’s ability to move forward with the associated infrastructure.
Additionally, the Constitution Pipeline is part of a broader federal push to accelerate natural gas infrastructure. While the project would carry natural gas rather than LNG, it reflects the same policy direction behind FERC’s newly proposed LNG blanket authorization program: reducing regulatory delays to move energy projects forward more quickly. The difference is that Constitution’s revival depends heavily on resolving longstanding state environmental and permitting disputes, a reminder that federal support alone cannot guarantee a project’s completion.
Constitution Pipeline Project Factsheet
- Project: Constitution Pipeline
- Developer: Constitution Pipeline Company LLC
- Federal funding: Up to $42 million under Defense Production Act Title III
- Announcement date: October 19, 2026
- Pipeline length: Approximately 125 miles
- Pipeline diameter: 30 inches
- Route: Pennsylvania to New York
- Counties crossed: Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania; Broome, Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties, New York
- Proposed capacity: Up to 650,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day
- Related infrastructure: Wright Interconnect Project, developed by Iroquois Gas Transmission System LP
- Original federal certificate: December 2014
- Major setback: New York denied water-quality certification in 2016; the project was abandoned in 2020.
- Revival filing: December 19, 2025
- Environmental assessment: Published August 26, 2026
- Total project cost: No revised estimate verified in the official project materials reviewed.
- Target in-service date: Fourth quarter of 2028, according to Williams’ project page; subject to approvals and construction progress.
- Project status: Proposed, with renewed regulatory review underway. DOE funding does not itself authorize construction.
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