The South System Expansion 4 (SSE4) would expand an existing methane gas pipeline into a fossil fuel super highway that will deepen our region’s reliance on dirty, expensive, and harmful fossil fuels for decades. Impacts would include:
- Pipe construction and infrastructure upgrades in 32 counties across Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia.
- Nearly 300 miles of new pipe in the ground, over 14 new segments.
- Horsepower upgrades and/or modification to 14 existing compressor stations, increasing emissions of health-threatening pollutants.
- New pipes crossing 11 rivers and more than 100 sub watersheds.
- An estimated $3.5 billion price tag.
Paid for by customers of Dominion Energy, Southern Company, Oglethorpe Power’s 38 EMC customers, and Atlanta Gas Light (a Southern Company subsidiary).
* Indicates counties traditionally considered part of the “Black Belt” — shown in dark gold here
GEORGIA
- Baldwin
- Bibb
- Burke
- Chatham1
- Clayton
- Crawford
- Effingham2
- Glascock
- Harris
- Henry
- Jefferson*
- Jones
- Lowndes
- Monroe
- Muscogee
- Richmond
- Screven*
- Spalding
- Talbot*
- Upson
- Washington*
ALABAMA
- Autauga
- Choctaw
- Dallas
- Elmore
- Hale
- Lee
- Macon
- Marengo
- Perry
- Sumter
- Tallapoosa
MISSISSIPPI
- Clarke
- Lauderdale
1 – Meter station only; 2 – Compressor station only; 3 – Compressor station only
GEORGIA
- Chattahoochee
- Flint
- Ocmulgee
- Oconee
- Ogeechee
- Savannah
ALABAMA
- Cahaba
- Chattahoochee
- Coosa
- Sucarnoochee
- Tallapoosa
- Tombigbee
MISSISSIPPI
- Chickasawhay
- Sucarnoochee
This pipeline is asking the Federal regulators to let it use eminent domain to force affected landowners into an easement agreement. Constructing the pipeline is noisy and dirty and a pipeline on your land means there are certain things you cannot do on your own property. But you still have to pay property taxes and get only a one-time payment for the easement.
DO NOT SIGN THE FIRST EASEMENT you are offered. Read it before you sign or, ideally, speak to an eminent domain attorney (we can connect you*). There is no benefit to you to signing early – and land agents can NOT be trusted to tell you the truth.
Not the community or affected landowners!
Impacted communities will not get any energy service from these pipelines – they are for commercial entities like data centers or for export out of the US. Most jobs will be filled by workers out of state. Kinder Morgan will benefit from selling the methane to data centers or overseas.
A pipeline on or near your property can lead to declining property values and there will likely be a restriction on how you can use your property.
Methane gas – a potent greenhouse gas – can leak out of connection points causing pollution.
Pipelines can leak and cause explosions. Methane is odorless, colorless, and flammable.
The pipeline would come within three miles of at least 81 schools, 3 hospitals and hundreds of residents – in Georgia alone.
Kinder Morgan states than one objective of the project is to boost energy capacity to support data centers. While utilities claim they must burn more fossil fuels, like methane gas, to meet the needs of data centers swarming to the Southern U.S., experts have found that companies are asking for (and utility commissions are granting) far more energy capacity than they actually need. Much of projected data center demand is speculative — if not outright implausible.
Southern Natural Gas and the utilities this pipeline would serve have not clearly demonstrated this substantial amount of additional capacity is necessary or that cleaner, more affordable alternatives were fully considered.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, methane gas, and oil, including interstate methane gas pipelines. FERC must approve an application before construction can begin on a methane gas pipeline. FERC must also review and assess the environmental impacts of the pipeline.
The companies are asking FERC (Docket No. CP25-517-000) to approve the project by July 1, 2026, an incredibly ambitious timeline.
- How close is my home to a high-pressure transmission line or compressor station?
- Has my town or county EMS been trained or equipped to respond to a pipeline explosion?
- What emergency alert systems or evacuation plans are in place?
- Does the pipeline operator provide detailed risk data and response plans to the public?
Communities across the Southeast are speaking out against the proposed SSE4 pipeline — and you can too. Whether you're concerned about land use, water safety, or fairness, your voice matters.
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Submit a comment to show your opposition.
FERC’s page on how to submit comments: www.ferc.gov
Coalition member Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has a guide too: FERC-Comment-Guide.pdf - Stay up to date — check back here for updates or find us on social media.
- Contact local, state, and federal officials and urge them to take action.
- Spread the word on social media using #StopSSE4.
- Attend a public hearing or event near you – we will post details about local events here, so check back – or leave your email – so you don’t miss them!
- Visit one of the organization websites below for event details and information:
Alabama Rivers Alliance is a statewide network of groups working to protect and restore all of Alabama’s water resources through building partnerships, empowering citizens, and advocating for sound water policy and its enforcement. For more information, please visit www.AlabamaRivers.org.
Science for Georgia is a non-profit that works to ensure Georgia understands, values, and engages with science. We are dedicated to bridging the gap between scientists and the public through training, outreach, and advocating for the responsible use of science in public policy.
Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and its tributaries. We are a citizen-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting clean water for the sake of public health, recreation, and wildlife habitat throughout our patrol area, the Black Warrior River watershed. This vital river basin is entirely contained within Alabama, America’s leading state for freshwater biodiversity.
Friends of the Alabama River was established to further the conservation and protection of the Alabama River watershed. We are based in Montgomery, and call the river's banks our home.
Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that inspires and equips communities of faith to organize, implement practical climate solutions, and advocate across Georgia on issues of climate change, environmental justice, and community resilience.
The Property Rights and Pipeline Center educates and activates pipeline-affected communities and landowners to fight for their property rights and health and safety. Our website offers a step-by-step guide to fighting a pipeline project, with videos and resources like a vetted list of eminent domain lawyers.
The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) was founded by Dr. Beverly Wright in 1992 in collaboration with community environmental groups and other universities within the Southern region to advance environmental justice. The Center is dedicated to addressing the unique challenges of climate change facing communities of color and poor communities in the South.
Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, which includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound. The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. The Ogeechee River system drains more than 5,500 square miles across 20 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.