Systematically incorporating environmental objectives into shale gas pipeline development: A binary integer, multi-objective spatial optimization model

Abstract

Shale gas pipeline development can have negative environmental impacts, including adverse effects on species and ecosystems through habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation. From a societal perspective, pipeline development planning processes should account for such externalities. We develop a multi-objective binary integer-programming model, called the Multi Objective Pipeline Siting (MOPS) model, to incorporate habitat externalities into pipeline development and to estimate the tradeoffs between pipeline development costs and habitat impacts. We demonstrate the model using an application from Bradford and Susquehanna counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. We find that large amounts of habitat impacts could be avoided for relatively low cost, but that avoiding additional habitat impacts becomes gradually increasingly costly. For example, 11% of the habitat impact can be avoided at only a one percent cost increase relative a configuration which ignores habitat impacts, suggesting promising options to reduce habitat impacts associated with shale gas pipeline development. A model such as the one developed here could be used by oil and gas companies, communities and states as part of the pipeline siting and permitting process to improve environmental outcomes.