Trump‑Backed Constitution Pipeline Returns, Putting New York’s Climate Path to the Test

Whoa! The Constitution natural‑gas pipeline that many thought was dead is alive again.

When Tanja Konwinski’s husband bought 82 acres in Schoharie County, New York, in 2023, they knew Williams Cos. held an easement for the proposed line. The state had rejected the project’s water‑quality permit in 2016, and courts upheld that decision. Konwinski assumed the pipeline would never be built.

Now the 125‑mile route from Pennsylvania to upstate New York is back in the federal regulatory process. The Trump administration’s push to expand domestic energy production includes a plan by the U.S. Department of Energy to direct up to $42 million to the project under the Defense Production Act, a 1950 law that lets the federal government support private‑sector production for national‑security reasons.

What’s at stake for New Yorkers? The pipeline’s revival has become a flashpoint in the state’s debate over balancing energy costs with climate commitments, and it is surfacing prominently in the governor’s race.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is weighing the state’s climate pledges against rising electricity and heating bills. While she has said she will not allow fracking, her administration has approved a previously rejected pipeline and delayed a major climate target.

Republican challenger Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman argues that expanding natural‑gas infrastructure would boost energy supplies and lower utility bills. He has floated the idea of repealing New York’s 2014 fracking ban, which was enacted over public‑health and environmental concerns.

Even if Hochul wins in November, environmental advocates wonder whether the state will keep the protections they have fought for over the years.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll shows Hochul leading Blakeman by 14 percentage points.

Stay tuned as this pipeline saga unfolds and shapes New York’s energy future.