As Trump Backs a Gas Pipeline, New York’s Climate Priorities Face a Test
Tanja Konwinski bought that land in the belief the Constitution pipeline was finished. A permit rejected in 2016, upheld by courts, should have buried the project for good. Now the federal government is pushing to revive it, and the fight puts New York's entire climate agenda on the line.
The court record should count for something. The state rejected the water quality permit, courts backed that decision, and Williams moved on with what looked like a dead project. Overriding that history with federal pressure turns state environmental review into something negotiable, which is exactly what the gas industry wants.
What I'd want to know next is how New York responds. It has legal tools and a track record of fighting these fights, but the political weight coming from Washington is formidable. The precedent this sets for other contested pipelines could reach far beyond Schoharie County.
I don't think anyone should pretend this is routine. Reviving a pipeline the courts already rejected is a direct challenge to state authority over its own environment. How New York holds the line will tell us a lot about whether climate policy can survive a hostile administration.