Federal regulators have signed off on two projects that would add nearly 500 miles of gas pipelines across the Deep South.

On July 31, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued final permits for South System Expansion 4, involving 14 new pipeline segments parallel to existing lines totaling 291 miles along the across Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. The project also involved modifying 14 existing compressor stations.

The agency also approved the Mississippi Crossing Pipeline, a 208-mile pipeline through central Mississippi and Alabama. The project would also include the construction of three new compressor stations in Humphreys, Attala, and Lauderdale Counties in 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.

An environmental impact statement for both projects found building them would involve crossing a combined 2,2111 rivers, streams, lakes, and other water bodies.

Kinder Morgan expects Mississippi Crossing to begin operating in 2028; South System Expansion 4 would see a first phase begin operating in 2028 and a second phase start moving gas by 2029.