According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), natural gas pipelines in the United States are outdated, suffer from constrained capacity, and are burdened by an inefficient approval process.

The study, authored by Lauren Sittler, a candidate in the master of supply chain management program at MIT, found that overreliance on natural gas in states that import the fuel without adequate pipeline capacity puts consumers at risk for supply shortages, storage leaks, and accidents from alternative transportation methods. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that natural gas production in the U.S. will grow by 30% between 2017 and 2050, so it is critical that the U.S. build new pipelines to avoid accidents and overcapacity.