New England Needs MORE Natural Gas, Not Less!
In his clownish article the other day about the falling price of gas, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard made reference to high gas prices in New England, blaming them on America’s “badly integrated energy infrastructure”
This, you won’t be surprised to hear(!), is not the whole story.
New England is now totally reliant on natural gas, without which the region would collapse economically and people would die.
Source: https://www.eia.gov/dashboard/newengland/naturalgas
Gas provides over half New England’s electricity, ramping up and down as required, even during summer heatwaves. It is also, of course, vital for domestic heating.
You’ll need a magnifying glass to see the contribution from AEP’s favourite wind and solar power.
Reliance on gas is even greater now, as nearly all the local coal power plants have been shut down since 2010. As a result, the increased demand for gas means that gas pipeline capacity often gets maxed out in winter.
As the US EIA explain, this causes spot gas prices to spike:
Source: https://www.eia.gov/dashboard/newengland/commentary/20200306
The answer is to expand pipeline capacity, not ‘renewables’ as AEP prefers. Natural gas from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale fields is still dirt cheap – the problem is getting it to market.
One project that would have done that and should have been up and running now is the Constitution Pipeline, which would have carried shale gas from Pennsylvania to upstate New York, where it would have connected to the existing Tennessee and Iroquois pipelines, which in turn supply the Northeast.
It was in planning as long ago as 2014, but guess what? It was blocked by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2016 on environmental grounds.
Thanks to Trump and his Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, the project is now back on the table, as the Connecticut Mirror reported in September:
At first glance, the route of one of America’s most controversial pipeline projects might not seem to have much to do with New England.
The proposed 125-mile pipeline between Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale field and upstate New York, however, is part of a long-standing effort to increase the flow of natural gas into parts of Connecticut and, by extension, the neighboring states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
Such efforts have recently drawn interest from a politically-diverse group of figures such as Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont as well as Republican President Donald J. Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, all of whom view natural gas as a way of reducing the region’s cost-of-energy burden.
Opponents, meanwhile, argue that building a new pipeline will only worsen pollution and the release of climate-altering greenhouse gases, while doing little to bring down prices.
What is the Constitution Pipeline?
The Constitution Pipeline is being developed by Williams Companies, a large operator of pipelines across the United States. The pipeline would have the ability to carry up to 650 million cubic feet of gas a day, according to the company, enough to serve about 3 million homes.
Williams first received federal approvals to build the pipeline more than a decade ago, but the project hit a snag when the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation declined to issue a water quality permit in 2016.
The project continued to languish until the developers resubmitted applications to state and federal regulators earlier this year.
“Williams remains committed to advancing the Constitution Pipeline project and has submitted permit applications,” to regulators in New York and Pennsylvania, the company said in a statement this month. “We are also continuing to work with the states, Congress, and the Administration to strengthen U.S. energy markets, lower costs for American families, and support long-term economic growth.”
Pending those approvals, Williams estimates that the pipeline should begin construction next year and enter service near the end of 2027.
Source: https://ctmirror.org/2025/09/15/constitution-pipeline-natural-gas-new-york-pennsylvania-ct/
In short, energy prices in New England are high because of the climate policies imposed by both Federal and State Democrat Governments.
The premature closure of coal plants and the banning of new gas pipeline infrastructure have had the very predictable effect.
As for the wind and solar power, which AEP thinks will soon replace ‘fossil fuels’, the less said the better!
See more here notalotofpeopleknowthat
Header image: iStock
Bold emphasis added