Say Yes to Clean Energy
Make a Difference in Georgia
Fighting Methane Pipeline Expansion
Southern Natural Gas Company and Elba Express Company are proposing to add nearly 300 miles of new pipeline loops across Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia to increase methane gas capacity as part of their South System Expansion 4 (SSE4). The proposal is currently under review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) under Docket CP25-517-000.
SSE4’s planned route stretches fromClarke County, Mississippi, through Alabama, and into Georgia, crossing near Augusta, Macon, and Columbus.The pipeline expansion in Georgia is planned within three miles of at least 43 schools, 6 faith communities, one hospital, and hundreds of residences. And the total project is estimated to cost $3 billion.
Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, alongside other environmental organizations and our attorneys at the Southern Environmental Law Center, are currently intervening at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to stop this expansion.
Pipeline expansion projects can be a major source of toxic greenhouse gas emissions, and construction endangers critical waterways, wetlands, and sensitive habitats. Beyond environmental considerations, pipelines put neighbors at greater risk of gas leaks and explosions, and frequently require the use of eminent domain to take private land. Building more pipelines also locks Georgia residents into a costly, polluting system instead of investing in affordable, reliable, clean energy.
A Pipeline to the Past is Not the Clean Energy Future Georgia Deserves!
Energy Burden and Data Centers
Low-income communities and communities of color face significantly higher energy burden. Energy burden is defined by the United States Department of Energy as “the percentage of gross household income spent on energy costs.” While the average energy burden ranges between 1-3% for the most affluent, in poorer Georgia communities energy burden exceeds 10%. This is morally wrong and unfair. Monthly, families are forced to make the impossible decision of keeping the lights on or putting food on the table.
The energy burden in Georgia has become worse over the last several years as more energy-intensive data centers swarm the state, driving up energy bills. This is only exacerbated by the increasing frequency of extreme heat waves due to human-caused climate change.
The energy burden is felt especially by Georgia Power billpayers. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) reports that in June 2023, one of the hottest months on record, “Georgia Power disconnected power to nearly 20,000 Georgia residents for nonpayment and charged residents more than $1,287,000 in late fees.” While costs of renewable energy like solar continue to decrease, Georgia Power insists on investing in energy that is dirty and expensive.
We’re working at every level to ensure the energy burden of large customers, like data centers, is not unfairly placed on everyday Georgians. GIPL supports policies that promote corporate responsibility and prevent unnecessary bill increases for local communities.
Biomass
Roughly 20% of Georgia Power’s energy portfolio is comprised of biomass or the burning of biological material for energy. As one might imagine, Georgia’s biomass industry relies heavily on trees cut from southern forests. Instead of allowing trees to grow, capture carbon, decompose naturally, and fertilize the soil around them, they are cutting down the trees working hardest to recapture atmospheric carbon.
Biomass companies falsely claim this process is clean and renewable, but the truth is that clear-cutting mature trees at a scale needed to supply power plants ruins vital ecosystems and the burning of wood pellets for power emits more carbon per megawatt produced than burning coal.
Emissions from biomass plants increase the effects of the climate crisis and make the air more toxic for surrounding communities. In Georgia, these are primarily low-income, rural, and coastal communities.
We believe there are better options to pursue, like solar.
Learn more about the environmental impacts of biomass from our partner the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) HERE.