7 Directions of Service and Coalition Partners Challenge FERC Approval of Massive Southeast Gas Expansion

Speculative demand projections could saddle families with decades of methane infrastructure costs.

MEBANE, NC, UNITED STATES, March 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- 7 Directions of Service and others filed a joint request for rehearing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) challenging its authorization of the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC’s Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP).

The proposed SSEP pipeline would run from Virginia to Alabama, transporting up to 1.5 billion cubic feet of methane gas per day—enough to fuel five or six large combined-cycle power plants. If constructed, SSEP would represent the largest East Coast pipeline project in over a decade, rivaling the scale of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline. Transco estimates the project will cost more than $1.5 billion to construct.
Independent analysis indicates that over 20 years, the project’s greenhouse gas emissions could impose approximately $87 billion in societal costs, driven by climate impacts, public health harms, and environmental degradation. “This project locks communities into decades of fossil fuel dependence at a time when we should be accelerating the transition to clean energy,” said Crystal Cavalier, Ed.D., Co-Founder of 7 Directions of Service. “The climate costs alone are staggering—$87 billion over twenty years. That is a generational burden placed on our children, frontline communities, and captive ratepayers.”

The rehearing request argues that FERC relied heavily on private agreements between Transco and electric utilities—such as Duke Energy and Southern Company Services—to establish “public need,” while dismissing credible evidence that long-term demand projections are highly uncertain. Much of the projected demand is tied to data center growth. However, documentation shows developers frequently submit duplicative, non-binding service requests across multiple jurisdictions—sometimes referred to as “phantom load”—which can inflate projections and shift financial risk to ratepayers. “Families should not be forced to bankroll speculative methane infrastructure based on inflated demand forecasts,” Cavalier said. “If demand does not materialize as projected, everyday people will still be paying for this pipeline.”

If constructed, SSEP could generate as much as 31 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually for decades. The joint rehearing request argues that FERC’s environmental review was legally deficient under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), particularly in its assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and impacts to waterways. On February 25, before the rehearing period had concluded, FERC authorized construction to begin. The filing argues that this action risks irreparable harm to communities along the route and undermines meaningful oversight and due process. SSEP represents a long-term fossil fuel investment at a time when federal and state climate goals require rapid emissions reductions. The filing calls on FERC to rescind its Notice to Proceed, grant rehearing, and reconsider its authorization in light of legal deficiencies and evolving realities of energy demand.
Cavalier added, “FERC must correct these errors before communities and ecosystems suffer permanent damage.”

About 7 Directions of Service
7 Directions of Service is an Indigenous-led environmental justice nonprofit working to advance tribal sovereignty, protect waterways, and promote sustainable development across the Southeast. The organization advocates for equitable energy policy, environmental accountability, and community-centered climate solutions.

Tia Hunt
7 Directions of Service
+1 910-722-9459
email us here

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