Williams Asks FERC to Reissue Constitution Pipe Cert & NY Waiver
MDN extensively covered the Constitution Pipeline project from its announcement in 2012 through its ultimate death in February 2020 (see Sad Day: Williams Declares Constitution Pipeline Project Dead). The Constitution was a joint venture between Williams (the builder/operator), Cabot Oil & Gas (now Coterra Energy), Duke Energy, and AltaGas. The Constitution was a $683 million, 124-mile pipeline from the Marcellus gas fields of Susquehanna County, PA, to Schoharie County, NY, to move Marcellus gas into New York State and New England. After Donald Trump reassumed the presidency, he announced a plan to resurrect the Constitution (see Stop Press! Trump Pledges to Revive PA-to-NY Constitution Pipeline). Read More “Williams Asks FERC to Reissue Constitution Pipe Cert & NY Waiver”
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is seeking public comment on water quality permits for Eastern Gas Transmission’s LN-10 pipeline replacement project in Armstrong and Westmoreland counties. Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage (EGTS) is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Construction consists of removing and replacing approximately 13.1 miles of 20-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline. Covering Chapter 102 and 105 regulations, the applications are available for review via the Regional Permit Coordination Office. While no public hearings are currently scheduled, they may be requested. Comments are due by January 26. 
A big announcement from the Trump Department of the Interior (DOI). Yesterday, the DOI announced an immediate pause on all large-scale offshore wind project leases currently under construction in the United States. There are five such projects along the East Coast, including one off the coast of New York State. The DOI said the decision stems from “national security risks” identified by the Department of War in classified reports, specifically concerning radar interference known as “clutter” caused by massive turbine blades. Trump previously negotiated a deal with NY Governor Kathy Hochul to allow two pipeline projects—the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project and the Constitution Pipeline—in return for building the offshore Empire Wind 1 project (see 
The Ohio Tax Commissioner is facing a lawsuit from Rover Pipeline over an aggressive property tax assessment that inflates the project’s market value. The dispute centers on the state treating $2.2 billion in weather-related construction overruns and an unrealistic “infinite lifespan” assumption as value-adding assets. Critics argue that this approach violates constitutional principles of fair market valuation, under which taxes should reflect what a willing buyer would pay rather than total development costs. 
On July 25, 2025, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) introduced the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act to streamline federal environmental reviews for energy and infrastructure projects, addressing delays blamed for hindering U.S. construction (see 
In 2018, Equitrans Midstream, the builder of the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), proposed extending the MVP pipeline (after completion) by an additional 75 miles from the current terminus in Pittsylvania County, VA, to Alamance County, NC, to provide natural gas for heating and electric power generation. The 75-mile extension was called MVP Southgate. In December 2023, Equitrans announced it was significantly changing the project, cutting it by more than half and increasing the amount of gas flowing through it (see 
In 2022, then-Massachusetts Attorney General (now Governor) Maura Healey bragged she had “stopped two gas pipelines from coming into this state” and that she opposes new natgas infrastructure in the state. 
In early September, MDN told you about the news that Enbridge had made a final investment decision (FID) for the Algonquin Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement (AGT Enhancement) project to flow an additional 75 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of Marcellus/Utica molecules through the Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline throughout New England and the northeast (see 
Pipelines in West Virginia (like most other states) pay property taxes. It’s a significant revenue generator for counties. There are many pipelines in Wetzel County, including three NGL pipelines owned and operated by MarkWest (aka MPLX) that connect to the Mobley Gas Plant. In 2022, MarkWest filed a tax return for the pipelines showing a 35% reduction in value due to less-than-forecasted pipeline usage, a concept called “economic obsolescence based on inutility.” The County Assessor for Wetzel County challenged MarkWest’s claim. 
Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage (EGTS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company (Warren Buffett’s company), filed a new project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in July (see 
Tailwater Capital LLC, an energy and infrastructure private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas, yesterday announced it has closed on the acquisition of a majority interest in Central Midstream Partners, LLC (originally established as Central Crude). Central Midstream provides liquids transportation, storage, and terminal services to support demand-pull customers across the Gulf Coast and in the Utica region. We have to confess we had not heard about nor written about Central Midstream before this announcement. 
When the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco) was placed into service in 1950, it was hailed as the longest pipeline in the world and the largest single-project construction venture ever attempted. Today, Transco, now owned by Williams, transports about 16% of the natural gas consumed in the United States. More than a single pipeline, Transco is a network stretching nearly 10,000 miles, connecting South Texas to New York. It’s hard to overstate the importance of this pipeline system to the country and to the Marcellus/Utica region. It carries an estimated 4.0 to 4.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of M-U molecules every day. We have written over 1,100 posts on MDN, either focusing on or prominently mentioning Transco (
The rapid expansion of data centers, driven by AI and cloud computing, is creating a surge in energy demand that exceeds renewable capabilities, forcing a shift toward natural gas. Good news for the Marcellus/Utica. However, building new pipelines to handle the extra gas needed is not an overnight process. Industry experts at the recent LDC Gas Forums’ Nat Gas to Power event proposed an ingenious solution that uses existing pipelines to move more gas to new data center customers.