Gas Leaks, Gas Shutoffs, and Environmental Justice in New York City

Abstract

Gas leaks in cities with older infrastructure are relatively common. The unburned methane which they release is a potent greenhouse gas with harmful health effects. Using administrative municipal data on gas leak reports, we provide a systematic analysis of residential gas leaks in New York City and their association with socioeconomic inequality. We find that both the reporting of gas leaks and the prevalence of resulting residential gas shutoffs is strongly structured by already existing inequalities across neighborhoods. Therefore, we argue that the gas infrastructure in urban areas is an important environmental justice issue as those communities who experience the brunt of failing gas infrastructure are the same communities who have faced decades of disinvestment and environmental racism.