For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Kari Fulton, Senior Organizing Director
Center for Oil and Gas Organizing
kari@centerfororganizing.org
Alabama Faith and Community Leaders Visit FERC and Capitol Hill, Urge Scrutiny of SSE4 Pipeline and Federal Budget Provisions
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 26, 2025) — As the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) undergoes major political shakeups, frontline organizers from Alabama and national environmental justice advocates traveled to Washington, D.C., calling on the agency to protect communities and fully evaluate the impacts of the proposed South System Expansion 4 (SSE4) natural gas pipeline.
Following the sudden forced departure of Commissioner Willie Phillips, a recent announcement to eliminate key permitting oversight, and the upcoming departure of Chairman Mark Christie after his term ends on June 30, advocates are warning that FERC may be fast-tracking approvals for fossil fuel projects—including SSE4, which is currently in the pre-filing stage and expected to be formally filed by the end of the month.
The Center for Oil and Gas Organizing (COGO) has requested meetings with all sitting Commissioners to elevate the concerns of directly impacted communities. Chairman Christie recently hosted a virtual meeting with environmental justice and conservation organizations about the proposed SSE4 pipeline. Meetings with the remaining Commissioners are still pending.
SSE4 would connect to existing Southern Natural Gas and Elba Express infrastructure—pipelines that have already raised alarms among residents. Community leaders say the project threatens to raise utility costs, degrade local ecosystems, and offer no tangible benefits to the communities bearing the brunt of its risks.
“This project is not in the public interest,” said Kari Fulton, Senior Organizing Director at COGO. “It delivers no long-term resources to our communities, but it will leave behind lasting environmental and financial burdens.”
A growing coalition of grassroots, legal, and environmental justice organizations stands in opposition to the project. These groups are working collaboratively to better understand the SSE4 process, inform affected residents, and resist regulatory rubber-stamping. Two respected Alabama faith leaders—Rev. Michael Malcom and Pastor Timothy Williams—are leading the delegation’s calls for regulatory and legislative action.
Pastor Williams, whose community of Coffee County, Alabama, is already contending with the impacts of an existing Southern Natural Gas pipeline, hopes the visit will lead to increased scrutiny of natural gas permit applications at FERC. He and his daughter Melissa traveled to Washington to advocate for their town.
“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, highlighting the need for environmental justice and meaningful community input. On Capitol Hill, they’re urging lawmakers to remove harmful fossil fuel provisions from the federal budget. Specifically, they oppose language that would allow companies to pay to expedite LNG terminal and pipeline approvals—provisions they say would further erode public involvement in decision-making.
The delegation met with the offices of Alabama Senators Tommy Tuberville (R) and Katie Britt (R) to deliver concerns raised by the Shiloh Community Center.
Later, the delegation joined the In Our Voice Coalition and the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 2025 Black Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda Briefing. While there, they connected with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke to discuss SSE4 and the increasing environmental costs of expanding natural gas infrastructure for data center development. The Congresswoman committed to continuing the conversation and emphasized the need for broader community awareness around infrastructure permitting.
“This is about protecting people, not just profits,” said Rev. Malcom. “We’re calling for policies that reflect justice and stewardship—not corporate shortcuts.”
About the Center for Oil and Gas Organizing (COGO)
Founded in 2022, COGO’s mission is to:
- Watchdog federal agencies like the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Energy (DOE), and hold 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 works with directly impacted communities to increase transparency and pressure for a step change away from rubber-stamped gas permits, weak regulations, and undue industry influence.
Delegation Participants and Supporting Organizations
The growing Stop SSE4 coalition includes:
- 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
- Savannah Riverkeepers
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 like biomass, LNG, and carbon capture. PJC, in partnership with Arm in Arm, 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 tied to mismanaged pipeline projects and recently partnered with Dr. Robert Bullard to advance environmental justice in Elba, Alabama.
