Alabama Faith and Community Leaders Call for Scrutiny of SSE4 Pipeline and Fossil Fuel Budget Provisions

On June 24, 2025, faith leaders and environmental justice advocates from Alabama traveled with the Center for Oil and Gas Organizing to Washington, D.C. to urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and members of Congress to halt the proposed South System Expansion 4 (SSE4) pipeline project and remove pro-fossil fuel provisions from the federal budget.

Rev. Michael Malcom and Pastor Timothy Williams, both rooted in affected rural communities in Alabama, highlighted the disproportionate environmental and financial burdens SSE4 would impose on low-income and Black communities.

“This is about people, not profits,” said Rev. Malcom, as the delegation called for just, community-driven energy solutions over extractive corporate practices.

The visit comes amid leadership changes at FERC, including the resignation of Commissioner Willie Phillips and the upcoming departure of Chairman Mark Christie. Advocates warn that regulatory rollbacks could fast-track harmful projects like SSE4 without proper community input or oversight.

Backed by a coalition of environmental justice organizations, including the Peoples Justice Council and the Shiloh Community Center, the group is demanding:

· A halt to the SSE4 application approval process

· Transparent, community-led engagement

· The removal of federal budget provisions that enable fossil fuel companies to pay for fast-tracked approvals

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’” offered Pastor Williams. “We advocate so no one else has to live in a dangerous situation like the one we’re facing in Coffee County.”

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