(The Center Square) – Developers of the long-contested Constitution Pipeline, seeking a waiver of a key permit for the project, have received pushback from New York regulators pursuing environmental reviews.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation formally objected on Jan. 28 to the request from Williams Companies, lead developer of the pipeline, which maintains that in 2018 the state waived its authority to issue or deny a water quality certification for it.
It represents another legal turn in a decade-long tussle between the state and the Oklahoma-based company as it seeks to revive the project.
The pipeline would originate in northeastern Pennsylvania and carry natural gas approximately 125 miles to a hub near Albany, New York for further distribution to six states in New England. If built, the pipeline would be capable of providing enough power to serve about 3 million homes.
The project required the necessary federal permits in 2014 to begin construction. But New York cited insufficient information and data related to its potential impacts.
In 2016, New York regulators determined that developers had not adequately explored alternative routes to avoid sensitive ecological areas. Developers planned to clear about 500 to 700 acres of forest in New York and Pennsylvania, including old-growth forests near hundreds of streams.
The project remained stalled until 2025, when developers reapplied for a New York permit. After receiving three Notices of Insufficient Information, the company withdrew its application and sought a waiver on the state-level permit, pointing to a 2018 decision by federal regulators that New York waived its authority to issue a water quality certification. The regulators reversed that decision in 2019, but the legal battles over it continued.
State regulators now say developers are attempting to bypass current environmental standards, and argue that the pipeline’s proposed route, which crosses more than 250 streams, requires a fresh look at 2026 ecological data.
The pipeline has also been in the political spotlight, where it is supported by the Trump administration’s “energy dominance” agenda. The president has threatened to overrule New York’s permitting authority, accusing the Democrat-led state of blocking a development he says would result in lower prices for the Northeast region.
Opponents, who want to lessen the region’s reliance on fossil fuels, have said the pipeline will affect pollution levels more than prices.
In 2025, the pipeline’s revival became linked to the Empire Wind project, an offshore wind farm off the coasts of New York and New Jersey. The Trump administration lifted a federal ban on the project in exchange for New York’s reconsideration of previous rejections of natural gas pipelines, specifically the Constitution Pipeline and the Northeast Supply Enhancement project.
While the supply enhancement project received state water permits in late 2025, New York regulators continued trying to block the larger Constitution Pipeline.
