For 12 years, New York residents have been paying higher utility bills than needed. This has been the state of affairs, because the New York state government, which is Democrat majority, along with various environmental groups, blocked completion of the Constitution Pipeline, a 125-mile natural gas pipeline bringing natural gas from Pennsylvania to New York. Now the Trump administration, using $42 million in Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III funding, will be hopefully completing that pipeline and bringing energy costs down for New Yorkers.

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum described the project on a Fox Business broadcast.

Secretary Burgum describes the problem and solution thusly:

This (natural gas-fired power plant) had to shut down, because there wasn't gas to run it. I mean, this is why. A 125-mile-long, super short distance - there are hundreds of thousands of miles of natural gas pipelines in America. This little connector link, again, which I am, the Constitution, which I'm renaming the New York Affordability Pipeline, just building that would lower the prices for all New Yorkers. And, it ties into a system which would benefit everybody in New England. And we're not... It's estimated that billions of dollars of excess cost, on consumers, just last winter. Billions. With a B. So this is probably one of the most efficient.. It's only a 30-inch diameter pipeline. But as you say, it could heat and power all these homes. It is one of the most obvious pieces of infrastructure that's missing in America. It was permitted 12 years ago, and then cancelled by the Democratic leadership in the state. And, New Yorkers have been suffering under those higher costs for that entire 12 years. 

The United States Department of Energy has described the project in detail here. The funding is there, but the statement from Energy also mentions permitting, implying that more permits will be required. 

The DPA funding will support eligible pre-construction and permitting activities necessary to advance the project and, after permits are completed, the deployment of complementary natural gas infrastructure. These activities may include environmental reviews and assessments, engineering and site-preparation work, and other costs associated with securing required regulatory approvals.

Permitting is likely to be the hold-up, as is so often the case in projects of this nature.

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Now, here's the catch — there's always a catch. Even if permitting goes quickly and smoothly, which it likely won't, it's not clear if even this relatively short pipeline can be completed in the last two years of President Trump's term. Should the White House flip in 2028, we can expect another round of yanked pipeline permits, and not just for this project. Democrats have never seen an energy project they were in favor of, except for solar, wind, and other "green" energy boondoggles that never live up to their wildly inflated expectations. If the Democrats manage a majority in Congress in the upcoming midterms, they will still do everything they can to halt this, as will Democrats in Albany.

This gas pipeline, no matter what we call it (Call it the Trump pipeline, just so long as it gets built) is the best example of a policy and infrastructure no-brainer that we've seen in months. And the fact that Democrats are against it, well, that pretty much says it all, doesn't it?