‘It’s just foolishness.’ Residents concerned about pipeline expansion in Middle GA
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission made a stop in Macon on Monday to talk with the community about the natural gas pipeline expansion project that cuts across the state, including much of Middle Georgia.
The pipeline project, called South System Expansion 4, or SSE4, is a $3.5 billion project by Kinder Morgan designed to help meet “growing power generation and local distribution company demand in the Southeast,” according to Kinder Morgan’s website. The project would expand the Southern Natural Gas pipeline system, which is jointly owned by Kinder Morgan and Southern Company, the parent company of Georgia Power.
The meeting in Macon was one of many along the pipeline’s route where FERC welcomed public comment on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement. More than 50 people came out.
“The primary goal of these comment sessions is to have you identify the specific environmental issues and concerns with the draft EIS,” a notice from the commission read. “The draft EIS addresses the potential environmental affects of construction and operation in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia,” of approximately 291 miles of pipeline, modifications and expansions of 14 compressor stations, and 10 meter stations.
Though advertised as a meeting, there was no formal presentation by commission staff, just tables, handouts and folks able to answer questions. The public comment portion was conducted privately to a court reporter.
Outside press was not allowed to record interviews within the session space, and when asked, FERC staff said responses to residents’ concerns would only be addressed when the comments are officially filed in the docket in a few weeks.
Science for Georgia, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light and the Sierra Club held a “tailgate against the pipeline” in the parking lot of the FERC meeting, offering hotdogs, Coca-Cola, and additional information and help for residents with public comment.
The public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement closes on March 23. Comments can be submitted online.
Concerns from the community
Residents who turned out to Monday’s meeting came with a range of concerns, including the health risks of emissions associated with natural gas, damage to local waterways and farmland associated with the construction of the pipeline, loss of privacy and declining property values.
“As a physician, I already have enough problems with hydrocarbon related deaths from Plant Scherer, and we certainly don’t need a methane pipeline,” said Macon-Bibb resident Nick Pietrzak. “I’m also just aware of the economics of it, solar and solar with batteries, is significantly cheaper than any kind of hydrocarbon power source at this point. It’s just foolishness. Foolishness that kills people.”
Scientists, farmers, physicians and everyday homeowners alike had doubts whether the project is even justified.
Amy Sharma, executive director of Science for Georgia, pointed to research that shows projected demand from data centers — the primary driver of the pipeline expansion — may be significantly overstated, leaving ordinary Georgians to foot the bill if that demand never materializes.
A report commissioned by the Southern Environmental Law Center released in December found that utilities in the Southeast are dramatically overestimating how much power data centers will actually need. Greenlink Analytics and Science for Georgia, who authored the report, put the realistic demand range at 2.4 to 6.7 gigawatts, which is a fraction of the roughly 10 gigawatts utilities are currently planning for.
“This is just a lot of ‘if we build it, are they really going to come?’ And if they don’t come, who’s gonna pay for it? And it’s gonna be an average Georgian on their power bills. And that just doesn’t seem right,” Sharma said.
Environmental and health concerns also ran deep, with concerns of long-term damage to the more than 20 waterways and ecosystems the pipeline would disturb.
“We’ve already lost 90% of the wetlands in the United States already, just in the last 50 years,” said Michelle Moyer, assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at Georgia College & State University, who attended the event out of personal interest. “This (project) is going to damage more than 20 different waterways and ecosystems just by building the pipeline. That doesn’t even account for the leaks that are almost guaranteed to happen, that have already happened in the state of Georgia, and so you’re damaging waterways that are already at risk and already have high levels of pollution.”
Farmers within the affected corridor worried about soil viability and contaminated water sources, while other property owners expressed frustration over lost tree cover and declining land values.
“My family’s farmed here for years, and I’d love to keep doing that,” said Ellie Wangrin of Smarr, Ga. “If these chemicals leak out, the gas leaks out, or if it explodes, or if the water has been ruined by this … We’ve only got so much land that we can farm on. If we keep ruining it, where are we going to get our food?”
Pietrzak, Sharma, Moyer and Wangrin also all pointed to an alternative energy source: solar power.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 5:29 AM.
