The Constitution Pipeline Project Is A Contest Between Environmental Realism and "Green New Deal" Idealism.

Our friend Dan Markind, is a Philadelphia attorney with a long interest in natural gas issues and a very analytical mind. He has used his talents to write a great article for Forbes on the subject of the Constitution Pipeline and why it’s back in the picture now. It’s a boxing fight between "Environmental Realism" and "Green Deal Idealism."

Here is what Dan had to say:

In 2020, following a bitter eight-year fight, Williams Corporation canceled its plans to build the Constitution Pipeline. The pipeline would have carried natural gas from the gas fields of Northeastern Pennsylvania approximately 124 miles northeast into the Southern Tier of New York State where it would have connected with integrated pipelines at that location that already feed New York and New England. (Source).

The pipeline was originally scheduled to open in 2015, but it never did…

The Cuomo administration essentially claimed that, by depriving the project of the ability to move gas through New York to New England, where it was (and still is) most needed, this would somehow encourage and accelerate New York State’s conversion to so-called “green” or renewable energy as a whole. In effect, New York claimed the right to dictate energy policy for all of New England, whether the citizens who actually reside in that region accepted and agreed with New York’s energy policies, or not. (Source).

In the years since, New York State’s dreams of large-scale renewable energy have fizzled. (Source). Now, New York’s energy prices are among the highest in the nation (Source) and as prices remain high, support for more green energy projects has stalled…

Enter the Trump Administration. On Friday, March 14, President Trump met with current New York Governor Kathy Hochul to try to get the pipeline project back on track. (Source)…

Environmentalists howled. They have no doubt learned that the public’s tolerance for forced policies and aspirational, but not necessarily workable, concepts like the Green New Deal has diminished considerably since 2015. According to The Federalist, New Yorkers could save $1B in energy costs if the Constitution Pipeline were now to be built, let alone increasing energy availability and further driving down costs in places like New England that are left with little other choice at present. (Source).

These areas still rely heavily on natural gas imported from faraway places like Trinidad instead of nearby Pennsylvania. (Source).

As President Trump pushes for a resurrection of the Constitution Pipeline, northeast governors like Maura Healy of Massachusetts and Ned Lamont of Connecticut face enormous pressure over high energy costs. If the Constitution Pipeline ever gets built, it will be another signal of a massive shift in United States policy toward economic and environmental realism and away from "Green New Deal" idealism.

Read the whole article for additional insights. As I see it, being a hard-core New Yorker, Trump understands politicians out of the New York and New England mold. They’re demagogic by nature, and what they say publicly means little. That’s all for show and they’re all deal-makers behind the scenes. They’d be happy to see Constitution Pipeline completed as long as Trump assumes the blame and throws in a few goodies for them (e.g., drop opposition to congestion pricing, give a bit on tax issues for New Yorkers, etc.).

Trump is also not concerned about New York and Newe England perceive him. He is the one individual who can call attention to the foolishness of New York’s Climate Act, the insanity of offshore wind energy schemes, and make it stick. He knows how to talk to New Yorkers and create even greater pressure on these green virtue-signaling governors. Their vision has been one of satisfying the Rockefeller clan and other Manhattan elites, but he has the power to enlighten the rest of the state in a way that’s never been done before and the governors know it.

So, stay tuned. This is going to be good!

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