What We Know About the Datacenter-Driven Pipeline Boom

Almost 200 fossil fuel pipeline projects are proposed or already under construction in the United States, collectively spanning 17,000 miles, according to a review of federal records compiled by the Environmental Integrity Project and reported by The Guardian. The buildout is being driven in part by electricity demand from datacenters and by natural gas export demand tied to the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the review found.

What is driving the new pipeline buildout?

The pipelines are meant to feed at least 98 gas-fired power plants that developers have proposed to serve datacenters, the Environmental Integrity Project found. Separately, the review links part of the expansion to natural gas export demand generated by the wars in Ukraine and Iran. "This is the largest boom in a couple decades … and it coincides with all this deregulation," said Alexandra Shaykevich, research manager with the Environmental Integrity Project.

How many projects are underway, and how big are they?

By the numbers:

• 17,000 miles (27,000 km) of pipeline proposed or in progress, per the federal-records review.
• If every project is completed, the pipelines would carry about 40% more natural gas daily than the current system transports.
• The projects cross 42 states, with 42 in or crossing Texas, 27 in Louisiana, and nine each in Pennsylvania and Illinois.

What regulatory changes does the report flag?

The review states that the Trump administration has targeted laws meant to protect the environment and human health from pipeline risks, and has pledged not to enforce existing regulations around them, according to the Environmental Integrity Project's findings cited by The Guardian. The report does not specify which individual rules have been rescinded, only that enforcement commitments have been withdrawn alongside the deregulatory push.

What are the safety risks for communities along the lines?

The U.S. already records about 1.7 pipeline accidents, spills, fires or explosions per day, the review found, a baseline rate the report says the new buildout would almost certainly add to. "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.

What is the timeline of the pipeline boom?

• Past two decades: Shaykevich describes the current expansion as the largest pipeline boom in a couple of decades, coinciding with the deregulatory push.
• Oct. 15, 2026: Excess natural gas was flared off at the Odessa-Ector power plant in Odessa, Texas, a routine byproduct of the gas production feeding the pipeline network, according to imagery accompanying the Guardian report.
• Nov. 8, 2026: The Environmental Integrity Project's review of federal records, detailing nearly 200 proposed or in-progress pipeline projects, was published by The Guardian.
• If completed: The full slate of projects would move roughly 40% more gas per day than the system carries now, supplying the 98-plus power plants proposed for datacenters.

Where are the pipelines concentrated?

Most of the lines carry natural gas and cross 42 states, but the review found heavy concentration in fossil fuel–producing regions: 42 projects in or crossing Texas, 27 in Louisiana, and nine apiece in Pennsylvania and Illinois, according to the federal-records analysis. The geographic clustering tracks existing gas infrastructure and export terminal access, the report notes, rather than spreading evenly with datacenter construction nationwide.

For related energy-capacity strain tied to rising digital infrastructure demand, see HTT News's coverage of tight UK electricity margins amid low wind.