New analysis finds disparities in aging gas infrastructure across Chicago neighborhoods

• New analysis: The first statistical analysis of Peoples Gas' data, conducted by methane scientist Dr. Joe von Fischer on behalf of EDF, found significant disparities in aging gas infrastructure across Chicago neighborhoods.  
• Why it matters: Neighborhoods with higher percentages of people of color have more leak-prone pipe and gas leaks, and residents are more likely to discover leaks through odor calls rather than proactive utility surveys.  
• What's next: EDF is urging the Illinois Commerce Commission to require a more transparent, data-driven approach to pipeline replacement that improves safety, reduces methane emissions and directs investments where they can have the greatest impact.  

CHICAGO, August XX, 2026 — The first statistical analysis of Peoples Gas' leak and pipeline data, commissioned by Environmental Defense Fund and carried out by methane scientist Dr. Joe von Fischer, found significant disparities in aging gas infrastructure across Chicago neighborhoods, providing new evidence that can help Illinois better target customer-funded investments, improve safety and reduce methane emissions as regulators consider the utility's request to increase rates. 

"Customers deserve confidence that every dollar they invest is making the gas system safer," said Sonya Jindal, Attorney, Clean Energy Transition at Environmental Defense Fund. "Using better data can help direct those investments where they'll have the greatest impact." 

The first statistical evaluation of Peoples Gas' geocoded leak records, gas main maps and neighborhood demographic data found that neighborhoods with higher percentages of people of color have 30% more leak-prone pipe per capita, 40% more gas leaks per capita, 43% more gas leaks per mile of gas main, 79% more leaks per mile of leak-prone pipe, meaning the pipe itself fails nearly twice as often, and 18% greater share of leak-prone cast- and ductile-iron mains. 

The analysis also found that in neighborhoods with higher percentages of people of color, gas leaks are significantly more likely to be discovered from residents that smell gas and report it rather than through proactive utility leak surveys. The findings challenge Peoples Gas' previous assertion that its system showed no meaningful environmental justice pattern. On behalf of EDF, Dr. von Fischer’s testimony recommends the Illinois Commerce Commission require Peoples Gas to: 

• Develop a transparent, data-driven process for prioritizing pipeline repair, replacement and retirement based on pipeline condition, system performance and environmental justice.  
• Use and expand Advanced Methane Leak Detection to identify the largest, highest-emitting leaks for immediate repair and prioritize the leakiest pipe for replacement or retirement, particularly in communities facing the greatest leak risks. 
• Set measurable performance goals for reducing methane leaks and replacing leak-prone pipe, regularly evaluate progress, and publish annual, geographically specific data on leaks, repairs and pipeline replacement.  
• Explore regulatory reforms that better align utility financial incentives with reducing methane emissions and advancing Illinois' climate goals. 

Peoples Gas' own Pipeline Retirement Project (PRP) already recognizes retirement as a strategy alongside replacement, and the Commission has directed the utility to explore Non-Pipeline Alternatives that could defer or avoid new pipeline investments where other solutions can meet customer demand. As the Commission noted, the utility’s “urban, dense service territory, combined with significant cast iron and ductile iron pipe retirement work, makes it uniquely situated to seriously consider the application of Non-Pipeline Alternatives.”  

As it considers Peoples Gas' $144 million rate request, the Commission should build on those efforts by requiring a transparent, data-driven approach that prioritizes the customer-funded investments most likely to improve safety, reduce climate pollution and deliver the greatest value for customers. 

Learn more in our Energy Exchange blog post.