On October 19, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $42 million for the Constitution Pipeline. The proposed pipeline would carry natural gas 125 miles from Pennsylvania to New York. Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC, a subsidiary of Williams Companies, is developing the project.

The money comes from the Defense Production Act (DPA), a law that lets the federal government support industries it considers essential to national defense. In April, a presidential determination placed natural gas pipelines, processing, and storage in that category.

The funds will cover pre-construction and permitting work, such as environmental reviews, engineering, site preparation, and the cost of securing regulatory approvals. Once permits are in hand, the money may also go toward related natural gas infrastructure.

DOE says the pipeline would bring natural gas to parts of the Northeast with limited access to it, lower electricity and home heating costs, and strengthen energy and defense security. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said it would “reduce the risk of blackouts during periods of peak electricity demand.”

In announcing the award, DOE cited $1 billion in DPA funding that Congress provided in last year’s reconciliation law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which DOE now calls the "Working Families Tax Cut." DOE is directing that money to energy projects it considers critical to national security.

The federal funding announcement does not resolve the project’s central obstacle. The pipeline was first proposed in 2012 and abandoned in 2020 after New York denied a required water quality certification, and that state approval is still needed before construction can begin. NY Governor Kathy Hochul’s office said earlier this month that no Constitution proposal is currently before the state. Administration officials and the developer have said the New England governors support the project, though most have not publicly endorsed it. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said he is pushing to have the pipeline operational by the 2028-2029 heating season.