Natural Gas Gathering And Transmission Pipelines And Social Vulnerability In The United States

Midstream oil and gas infrastructure comprises vast networks of gathering and transmission pipelines that connect upstream extraction to downstream consumption. In the United States (US), public policies and corporate decisions have prompted a wave of proposals for new gathering and transmission pipelines in recent years, raising the question: Who bears the burdens associated with the existing pipeline infrastructure in the US? With this in mind, we examined the density of natural gas gathering and transmission pipelines in the US, together with county-level data on social vulnerability. For the 2,261 US counties containing natural gas pipelines, we found a positive correlation between county-level pipeline density and an index of social vulnerability. In general, counties with more socially vulnerable populations have significantly higher pipeline densities than counties with less socially vulnerable populations. In particular, counties in the top quartile of social vulnerability tend to have pipeline densities that are much higher than pipeline densities for counties in the bottom quartile of social vulnerability. The difference grows larger for counties at the upper extremes of pipeline density within each group. We discuss some of the implications for the indigenous communities and others affected by recent expansions of oil and gas infrastructure. We offer recommendations aimed at improving ways in which decision-makers identify and address the societal impacts and environmental justice implications of midstream pipeline infrastructure.Plain Language Summary Recent years have seen a wave of oil and gas development in the United States (US) and elsewhere. Research on human health and other societal impacts of oil and gas focus mainly on upstream activities, such as hydraulic fracturing, and on downstream activities, such as refining and electricity production. Gathering and transmission pipelines, which connect upstream and downstream parts of the supply chain, also have negative impacts, but receive less attention than other areas. No prior research has determined whether the negative impacts of gathering and transmission pipelines fall equitably across society. We analyzed publicly available data sets and found that the existing network of natural gas pipelines in the US is concentrated more heavily in counties where people experience high levels of social vulnerability than in counties where social vulnerability is low. These results have implications for environmental justice, which is concerned, in part, with how environmental burdens are distributed throughout the society. We highlight some of the burdens faced by indigenous peoples and others who are impacted by the ongoing pipeline development. Our work reiterates a need for researchers and decision-makers to look closely at these impacts, especially in light of environmental justice policies, to understand the broader societal costs of oil and gas infrastructure.