Sierra Club Reacts: FERC Authorizes Two Dangerous Southeastern Pipelines

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Friday authorized two dangerous and unnecessary pipelines in the Southeast.

FERC issued permits for the Mississippi Crossing Project (MSX) and South System Expansion 4 (SSE4), clearing the path forward for both multi-billion dollar projects. 

MSX would build 208 miles of methane gas pipeline across 10 counties in Mississippi and Alabama, three new compressor stations and transport 2,100 million cubic feet per day of gas. SSE4 would construct approximately 300 miles of methane gas pipeline across 32 counties in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, and upgrade or modify 14 existing compressor stations.

A recent analysis from IEEFA demonstrates how large utilities are using projects, like MSX and SSE4, to force customers to subsidize data centers. 

Communities across Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia have been rallying against the projects due to the cost to taxpayers, threat to clean water and local ecosystems, concerns from landowners whose property will be jeopardized, and rising energy prices.

In response, Jasmine Vazin, Deputy Director with Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign, released the following statement:

“It’s incredibly disappointing – but utterly unsurprising – that FERC has shirked its responsibility to protect everyday Americans from dangerous and unnecessary projects like MSX and SSE4. These projects pose critical public health and environmental risks for the communities they would impact, but FERC and the Trump Administration only seem to care about powering the A.I. data center boom and protecting profits for Fossil Fuel executives. As the Sierra Club considers our next steps, we remain determined to stand with Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia communities who refuse to be ignored by federal regulators and pipeline developers.”