Nearly 200 pipeline projects identified in the US — The Guardian

Federal documents in the United States have revealed nearly 200 planned or already ongoing pipeline projects with a total length of about 27,000 kilometers. Some of them could supply natural gas to power plants proposed for data centers, The Guardian reports, citing a report by the Environmental Integrity Project.

Data center demand and gas exports

The report’s authors link the increase in pipeline projects to data centers’ demand for electricity, as well as growing demand for natural gas exports amid the wars in Ukraine and Iran. According to their data, the pipelines could supply fuel to at least 98 proposed gas power plants for data centers.

If all these lines are completed, they could transport about 40% more natural gas per day than the current system. Most projects cover 42 states: about 42 are located or will run through Texas, 27 through Louisiana, and nine each through Pennsylvania and Illinois.

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Environmental and safety risks

According to the Environmental Integrity Project, more than a quarter of the projects have requested expedited environmental review. The report’s authors claim that President Donald Trump’s administration is speeding up permit issuance, narrowing the scope of environmental studies, and limiting public participation, including by citing an energy emergency.

The report also states that at least 81 projects could damage more than 7,700 hectares of federally protected wetlands. Researchers note that the United States records an average of about 1.7 pipeline accidents, spills, fires, or explosions each day.

Environmental Integrity Project representative Alexandra Shakyevyich called the situation the biggest pipeline construction boom in recent decades. The organization also claims that the administration is weakening enforcement of pipeline safety rules and allowing companies to increase pressure in pipes in densely populated areas.