Trump Vows to Revive The Constitution Pipeline to Reduce Energy Prices in the Northeast
President Trump said the pipeline could reduce energy prices in the northeastern United States by up to 70%.
There was a time when some anti-fossil fuel groups had a modicum of sanity and recognized natural gas’s low carbon footprint. In the early days of the Shale Revolution, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) considered natural gas a “bridge fuel” that could reduce CO2 emissions by replacing coal to generate electricity. Unfortunately, I cannot prove it because all vestiges have been scrubbed from the internet. EDF is now so anti-natural gas that, along with Bezos Earth Fund, the Audacious Project, and the New Zealand Space Agency, have put up a satellite they claim can detect methane leaks on Earth from space. MethaneSAT was launched into space on March 5, 2024, on a rocket owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. But I digress.
In the early 2000s, anti-natural gas groups started showing up at drilling sites and chaining themselves to the drilling equipment to stop drilling. These groups quickly realized they could be more effective by blocking pipelines through legal warfare. They staffed up with attorneys and successfully blocked quite a few pipelines.
An early victim of such lawfare was the Constitution Pipeline, which could transport 650 million cubic feet per day of natural gas for 125 miles from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania to New York. Constitution Pipeline was owned by Williams Cos Inc., Cabot Oil & Gas Corp, Duke Energy Corp, and AltaGas Ltd. Williams fought many court battles as they tried to build the pipeline but finally gave up, releasing this notice on February 24, 2020:
Williams – with support from its partners, Duke, Cabot and AltaGas – has halted investment in the proposed Constitution project. While Constitution did receive positive outcomes in recent court proceedings and permit applications, the underlying risk adjusted return for this greenfield pipeline project has diminished in such a way that further development is no longer supported.
In another statement, Williams said, “The underlying risk-adjusted return for this greenfield pipeline project has diminished in such a way that further development is no longer supported.” Williams also said that its fourth quarter and full-year 2019 earnings were negatively impacted by the Constitution project’s $354 million impairment. When Williams proposed the Constitution in 2013, it estimated the project would cost about $683 million and enter service in 2016. Delays, however, boosted that cost to a billion dollars.
Donald Trump was president at that time and supported the Constitution Pipeline as part of his goal to see more energy infrastructure built. President Trump warned that the federal government could overturn state decisions that blocked energy infrastructure projects due to national security concerns. Even though the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the construction of the Constitution in December 2014, the project stalled due to legal and regulatory battles over a New York water permit. Williams gave up on the Constitution Pipeline even though FERC ruled that New York waived its authority to decide on the water permit because state regulators waited too long before rejecting the company’s application.
President Trump is once again focused on getting the Constitution Pipeline built, saying recently:
We are going to get this done, and once we start construction, we’re looking at anywhere from nine to 12 months, if you can believe it. It will bring down the energy prices in New York and in all of New England by 50, 60, 70%.
Trump indicated that he would meet with state governors to discuss the project’s future, asserting that
Most of the permits — almost all of the permits” are already in place. “All of the governors want this to happen, and I think it’s going to happen. It’s now going to happen.
Trump did not specify how the pipeline would be authorized or whether Williams Companies would resume construction. Trump also raised the possibility of using eminent domain to secure land for the project:
We’d rather not have to go eminent domain. We’ll do that if we have to, but hopefully we won’t have to do that.
My take: President Trump has no doubt been fuming over his inability to oversee the construction of the Constitution Pipeline during his first presidency and is focused on righting that wrong in his second term as part of his overall plan for U.S. energy dominance. If Williams Companies is not interested, someone else will be, especially since the entire Trump energy team is now in place, reducing the chances that lawfare from the Environmental Defense Fund, other groups, or New York state itself can stop the pipeline again.
The Constitution Pipeline is just one example of the many energy projects that will result from President Trump’s energy reforms. A new energy revolution has begun. President Trump has the vision and the people in place to achieve energy dominance and spur unprecedented economic growth. This is going to be fun to watch.
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“ All of the governors want this to happen…”
Um, has he contacted Hochul?
Although this pipeline would help end the Northeast’s ridiculous need to import LNG to meet demand (when a couple hundred miles of pipeline would solve this problem).
Prices would certainly ameliorate, but I’m unsure if Hochul would want credit; she still labors under the misconception that “renewables” can power the world, and all needed power can be provided without thermal generation.*
Heck, NYS is suing the major hydrocarbons companies for “climate change.” I haven’t perused the briefs, but there’s been plenty in the news about NYS claiming climate change making storms stronger, etc.
I can’t wait for the defendants to pull out the handy IPCC chart showing no detected human attribution for more powerful storms, fire weather, duller laundry, etc.
Oh, and no attribution is expected for even any child born today.
Case dismissed.
Oh, even forgetting this case, I think it’s high time for the hydrocarbons majors to hold a press conference and state:
“We try to be good neighbors and provide products needed by NYers to stay warm in the winter, cool in the summers,and provide needed transportation ,refrigeration, power and lights.
“Contrary to what many people would lead you to believe, there are no viable plans to provide all needed power with “renewables.”
Even after decades, there has still never been a successful demonstration of grid-scale non-dispatchable power generation.
Non-dispatchable power is wind & solar - intermittent and not controllable.
Would it not be reasonable to expect that, as a prerequisite, any company responsible for building a power system to have a firm plan on paper to operate that system?
Now, we want to run as clean operations as much as anyone. But no one anywhere on earth has successfully built a power grid that operates year-round without some type of thermal generation. That is heating water to generate power.
Until that has been successfully achieved, and at a reasonable cost, it is unfair to all our customers, shareholders, AND stakeholders, for the state of NY to attempt to hold us responsible for global climate change and the effects of severe weather.
If you’re unaware, last year Governor Hochul signed legislation requiring us to pay $billions each year for 25 years. This is patently unfair, especially since the UN’s IPCC says no human attribution has been detected in severe weather.
But, please hear this: The NYS legislature has 90 days to repeal this statute.
If that has not happened at that time, we will stop all hydrocarbons sales in NY state. All gasoline, diesel, oil, natural gas, and hydrocarbons byproducts.
We urge citizens to contact their representatives to tell them to take action.
Every day we sell to NY residents the products they want and need for modern life, and we refuse to be forced to pay huge fines for conducting these voluntary transactions.
Worldwide, no country, grid or utility, save a few with geographical features allowing hydroelectric or geothermal power, have successfully demonstrated a 24/7 reliable system without at least some thermal generation.
Furthermore, in no U.S. state is their electric grid currently able to support mass EV adoption. NYS is no exception.
For example, in NYC there are only 6 fast chargers available.
We simply will not stand to be held hostage just for selling products people want and need.
Aspirations are wonderful .
But if the New York State's Climate Change Superfund Act is not repealed in 90 days we are ending the sale of all gasoline, diesel, oil , natural gas, and hydrocarbons byproducts in NY state. Thank you.”
The Trump opposition doesn’t know what’s hit them - every direction they turn there is challenge and resistance to the leftist regime. When it comes down to electricity and heat, the citizens react harshly when the cost is just stupid high for just stupid reasons. Some leftists, very few but some, are coming around to understanding we need all of our extractive industries to be healthy - fully functional. The cost of commodity goods does not need to rise due to silly governmental regulations and federal departments home made rules. The WEF banner carrying is over, and not a minute too soon. The next exciting phase will be to root out federal staff that are not onboard with domestic economic health. States would be well advised to do the same.