US Datacenter Boom Drives 17,000 Miles of New Fossil Fuel Pipelines

The United States is planning nearly 200 new fossil fuel pipeline projects that would add 17,000 miles of infrastructure to the national grid. This expansion is directly linked to the surging energy requirements of artificial intelligence datacenters and natural gas exports driven by conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. The Environmental Integrity Project compiled these findings from federal records released in November 2026.

The proposed lines would transport roughly 40% more natural gas daily than the current system handles. This capacity is designed to fuel at least 98 gas-fired power plants that developers have proposed to serve datacenter operations. The geographic distribution of these projects is uneven, with 42 pipelines in or crossing Texas and 27 in Louisiana. Pennsylvania and Illinois each have nine proposed projects.

Alexandra Shaykevich, research manager at the Environmental Integrity Project, described the scale of the buildout as the largest boom in decades. She noted that this surge coincides with a period of intense deregulation under the current administration. “That’s concerning because the pipelines do usually operate safely, but they can leak and explode, and so there are big risks for communities across the United States,” Shaykevich said.

The report identifies a sharp decline in federal enforcement alongside the construction rush. In January, the administration issued a memo pledging to refrain from enforcement actions against companies violating Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration regulations. By 2025, the number of initiated enforcement actions had dropped by half to only 117. This reduction in oversight occurs as the average number of pipeline accidents, spills, fires, or explosions in the US stands at about 1.7 per day.

Regulatory bodies are also using expedited review processes to fast-track these projects. More than 25% of the proposed pipelines have requested accelerated environmental reviews. The administration is invoking energy emergency mechanisms to shorten permit approvals and limit public input. In some cases, the Defense Production Act is being used to override state objections.

A notable example is the Santa Ynez oil pipeline in California. The administration pushed this project forward in March despite the state having shut it down in 2015 after a spill damaged 150 miles of coastline. The same legal tool is being applied to the 125-mile Constitution pipeline, which would run from Pennsylvania to New York against the latter state's wishes.

The physical footprint of these projects threatens sensitive ecosystems. At least 81 of the new lines are expected to damage more than 19,000 acres of federally protected wetlands. This expansion happens while the administration attempts to strip 94% of federal wetland protections. James Hiatt, executive director of For a Better Bayou, highlighted the impact in south-west Louisiana, where a high concentration of pipelines already cuts through fishing grounds.

Hiatt noted that local communities bear the physical risks while profits flow to other regions. “The people who live here carry the risks and bear the burden while the profits go elsewhere,” Hiatt said. The report also points to recent fatalities as evidence of ongoing risks, including a March 2023 explosion in West Reading, Pennsylvania, that killed seven workers, and a New Mexico pipeline explosion last month that killed two.

The administration is also allowing companies to increase pipeline pressure in densely populated areas and reduce the frequency of pressure tests. These changes aim to boost capacity but increase the potential for catastrophic failure. The proposed infrastructure will concentrate in fossil fuel-producing regions, placing the highest density of new lines in Texas and Louisiana.