Staff Reports
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s blunt message on a national business show should wake up anyone who thinks energy policy is only an abstract argument. He told Fox Business viewers that if the United States faces natural gas shortages, it will be where state and local officials have blocked pipelines — not because Washington ran out of ideas. He pointed to New York and the long-running problem of getting Appalachian gas to New England as proof that politics, not geology, creates shortages.
Burgum’s warning: pipelines, not foreign foes, create local shortages
On air, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum made the simple point: we have gas in the ground, but we don’t always have a way to move it. He noted that while global tensions can pinch supplies abroad, the places most likely to see a shortfall here are the ones that have shut pipeline projects down. That is not a theory; it’s basic market mechanics. If you stop the pipes, the gas stays in the ground and prices go up where people need heat.
Federal action and the Constitution pipeline review
There is a fresh federal development that ties directly to Burgum’s warning. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has kicked off an environmental review for the Constitution pipeline, the project meant to carry Appalachian gas into upstate New York and onward. Other projects, like the Northeast Supply Enhancement proposals, keep running into state denials, litigation, and re-submissions. These are exactly the kinds of bottlenecks Burgum said create regional risk.
Why permitting matters for New England energy security
Here’s the practical truth: U.S. gas markets are regional and they need transport to work. Adding output in Pennsylvania does nothing for New England if the pipes aren’t built. That’s why New England can face high winter prices and rely on backup fuels when pipelines are blocked. State water-quality certifications, court fights, and political opposition have real costs for families who heat their homes — not just talking points for activists.
Time for common-sense permitting and accountability
If Washington is serious about preventing shortages, it should push faster, clearer permitting and enforce rules that balance local concerns with national needs. FERC’s review of Constitution is a start, but regulators and state leaders must stop treating energy policy like a virtue signal competition. Letting ideology dictate whether pipelines are built is a luxury no family should pay for in a cold winter. Congress, federal agencies, and governors need to do the job: move safe projects forward so Americans don’t pay the price for someone else’s theatrics.
