News Brief

July 1, 2026

Gas pipeline expansions across Deep South would cross over 2,200 water bodies, report finds

Plans for two major gas pipelines projects across Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi would involve crossing a combined 2,211 rivers, streams, lakes, and other water bodies, according to a recent report.

On June 26, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a final environmental impact statement for the two separate pipeline projects. One is the Mississippi Crossing Project, a new 208-mile natural gas pipeline project across Mississippi. The report also covered South System Expansion 4, which involves building 291 miles of gas pipeline mostly parallel to existing pipelines across Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Pipeline company Kinder Morgan is behind both projects, which are part of a nationwide pipeline expansion meant to move more natural gas unlocked by the growth of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling.

Mississippi Crossing would cut through or under 869 waterbodies, including four navigable rivers and 115 perennial streams. It would cross the Big Black River, listed on the Nationwide Rivers Inventory as one of thousands of free-flowing river segments that posses one or more “outstandingly remarkable” values, according to the National Park Service. The pipeline would also cross the Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444-mile recreational road and scenic drive stretching from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi.

South System Expansion 4 would cross 1,342 waterbodies, including three rivers listed in the national inventory, along with 400 perennial streams. It would cross the Tallapoosa, Flint, and Oconee rivers in Alabama and Georgia.

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