WASHINGTON, D.C. – (June 26, 2025) Alabama-based faith leaders and frontline organizers traveled to Washington, D.C., to urge the agency to protect communities and thoroughly evaluate the impacts of the proposed South System Expansion 4 (SSE4) natural gas pipeline.
The SSE4 pipeline is being proposed by Kinder Morgan subsidiaries, Southern Natural Gas Company, L.L.C. and Elba Express Company, L.L.C., and would include 14 new noncontiguous pipeline routes that would span approximately 279 miles across Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The pipelines will connect to existing Southern Natural Gas and Elba Express infrastructure that has already raised alarms among residents and environmental advocates. Community leaders warn that the project could increase utility costs, degrade local ecosystems, and provide no tangible benefits to the communities that would bear the brunt of its risks.
In light of the sudden policy and leadership changes at FERC, advocates are warning that FERC’s procedural policies may be leading to the fast-tracking of approvals for fossil fuel projects—including SSE4, which was filed for FERC review on July 2, 2025, under Docket No. CP25-517-000.
Before Southern Natural Gas filed its application for FERC project review, the Center for Oil and Gas Organizing (COGO) requested meetings with all sitting Commissioners to elevate the concerns of directly impacted communities. FERC Chairman Mark C. Christie and the FERC Office of Public Participation held virtual meetings with environmental justice and conservation organizations to discuss the proposed SSE4 pipeline, offering insight into key considerations that concerned parties should raise through the FERC public comment and intervention processes.
“This project is not in the public interest,” said Kari Fulton, Senior Organizing Director at COGO. “It delivers no long-term resources for communities, but it will leave behind lasting environmental and financial burdens.”
A growing coalition of grassroots, legal, and environmental justice organizations is opposing the project. The group is working collaboratively to understand and watchdog the SSE4 permitting process, inform affected residents, and resist regulatory rubber-stamping. Rev. Michael Malcom and Pastor Timothy Williams are supporting the delegation’s calls for both regulatory and legislative accountability.
Reverend Michael Malcom interviews Pastor Timothy Williams after the FERC meeting, while Shiloh Community Center executive assistant Melissa Williams walks out of the meeting. (Photo credit: Kari Fulton)
Pastor Williams, whose community of Shiloh in Coffee County, Alabama, is already grappling with flooding caused by an existing natural gas pipeline, hopes the visit will prompt deeper scrutiny of natural gas permitting at FERC. He and his daughter, Melissa Williams, who serves as the Executive Assistant at Shiloh Community Center, traveled to Washington to advocate for their hometown.
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’” said Pastor Williams. “We advocate so that no one else has to live in the dangerous situation the Shiloh Community is experiencing.”
At FERC, the delegation is calling for a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for SSE4, emphasizing the importance of environmental justice, the cumulative impact of pipeline construction on existing infrastructure, and the need for meaningful community input.
On Capitol Hill, they urged lawmakers to remove harmful fossil fuel provisions from the federal budget bill and to listen to the communities most impacted by these issues. The delegation met with the offices of Alabama Senators Tommy Tuberville (R) and Katie Britt (R) to deliver concerns raised by the Shiloh community.
Shiloh Community Center Executive Assistant, Melissa Williams poses in front of the offices of Alabama U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R). The Williams delivered a report to his staff documenting the flooding and environmental concerns caused by existing pipelines in Elba, Alabama. (Photo credit: Kari Fulton)
Later, the group joined the In Our Voice Coalition and the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus at the 2025 Black Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda Briefing. While there, they connected with U.S. Congressional Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY9) to discuss SSE4 and the rising environmental costs associated with expanding natural gas infrastructure to support data center growth. Congresswoman Clarke serves as a Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee for the Energy & Commerce Committee and is committed to continuing the conversation. Rep. Clarke also emphasized the need for broader public awareness.
(L-R) Pastor Timothy Williams, U.S. Congressional Representative, Yvette Clarke (D- NY9) and Kari Fulton, Senior Organizing Director, Center For Oil and Gas Organizing discuss the SSE4 pipeline and engaging Congressional Black Caucus members. Photo credit- B.R. Hammed-Owens
Shiloh Community Center, the Peoples Justice Council, and Center for Oil and Gas Organizing are working in solidarity with a growing coalition of supporting organizations including:
- Southern Environmental Law Center
- Property Rights and Pipeline Center
- National Black Environmental Justice Network
- Deep South Center for Environmental Justice
- Alabama Riverkeepers
- Black Belt Women Rising
- Shiloh Community Center
- Savannah Riverkeepers
- Peoples Justice Council
- Sierra Club
- Energy Alabama
About the Faith Leaders:
Rev. Michael Malcom is the founder and Executive Director of the Peoples Justice Council, a Birmingham-based faith organization working at the intersection of theology and environmental justice. Through its No Dirty Deals campaign, PJC raises awareness of false climate solutions such as biomass, LNG, and carbon capture. In partnership with Arm in Arm, PJC recently released Exposing the Unspoken, a documentary on environmental injustice and Southern Company’s fossil fuel operations.
Pastor Timothy Williams leads the Shiloh Community Center in Coffee County, Alabama, where he works to bridge educational gaps and strengthen environmental protections in rural communities. He has organized local responses to flooding and infrastructure failures linked to pipeline mismanagement and has recently partnered with Dr. Robert Bullard to advance environmental justice efforts in Elba, Alabama.
About the Center for Oil and Gas Organizing (COGO)
Founded in 2022, COGO’s mission is to:
- Serve as a watchdog over federal agencies like FERC and the Department of Energy (DOE), holding them accountable on LNG export and pipeline decisions; and
- Build platforms for frontline leaders to access, advocate with, and influence decision-makers at these agencies.
COGO partners with directly impacted communities to promote transparency and drive a shift away from rubber-stamped gas permits, weak regulations, and undue industry influence.
