DOE says political opposition, not lack of customers, is blocking Constitution Pipeline

WASHINGTON

The Department of Energy on Tuesday told reporters it views political opposition, rather than a lack of market demand, as the central obstacle to building the long‑proposed Constitution Pipeline to move natural gas to New England and New York.

"That is also just complete nonsense" that the pipeline has no customers, Secretary Wright said in response to a reporter's question about a filing from Tri‑State Generation and Platte River Power Authority. Wright argued that if the route were not blocked by state politics, utilities and other customers would sign up for capacity.

Reporters pointed to a December petition to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and asked whether the project had identified customers and whether an interconnection agreement with Iroquois had been filed. Wright said he had spoken with New York Governor Kathy Hochul since taking office and that the administration would continue outreach, predicting the state would "come around." He called pipeline constraints in New England "a near catastrophe" for reliability during the winter storm and said that additional gas capacity would have helped the region avoid reliance on oil and other expensive fuels at peak demand.

DOE officials framed the pipeline question in the context of regional reliability. Wright said natural gas supplied the largest share of New York's generation during the storm and that seasonal or pipeline constraints had forced some generators to burn oil. He repeatedly linked the pipeline issue to broader policy disputes over state renewable mandates and local restrictions on natural gas infrastructure.

The department did not announce any new federal action to force a construction timetable; instead, officials described outreach, public communications and engagement with regional grid operators and state authorities. "I haven't spoken to a single resident or governor of New England that doesn't want lower energy costs, cleaner air, and more secure energy supply," Wright said, adding that he believed the political impediments could be overcome.

What's next: DOE said it will continue engagement with state officials, regional operators and developers, and that further analysis of regional fuel and capacity needs will be part of its follow-up work.