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.

中文翻译：

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纽约市的煤气泄漏、煤气切断和环境正义

在基础设施较旧的城市，天然气泄漏相对常见。它们释放的未燃烧的甲烷是一种强效温室气体，对健康有害。利用有关燃气泄漏报告的行政市政数据，我们对纽约市住宅燃气泄漏及其与社会经济不平等的关系进行了系统分析。我们发现，燃气泄漏的报告和由此导致的住宅燃气关闭的普遍性很大程度上是由社区之间已经存在的不平等所造成的。因此，我们认为城市地区的天然气基础设施是一个重要的环境正义问题，因为那些遭受天然气基础设施故障首当其冲的社区正是面临数十年投资减少和环境种族主义的社区。