Tell Person County Commissioners to Delay Rezoning Land for Hyco Gas Plants

Hearing will take place at 304 Morgan St.

The meeting location in the Person Co. Office Building

The Person Co. Board of Commissioners will consider Duke’s request to rezone the land for the Hyco Gas Plants, that would be supplied by the T-15 pipeline. The meeting will be Monday, 2/3 at 6pm in the Person Co. Office Building (rm 215), at 304 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC.

At the meeting, Person County residents will be able to share their concerns about the gas plants, and all the plans attached to it, and ask them to delay rezoning the land to address those concerns.

Even if you don’t say anything in the meeting, your presence lets the commissioners know that the community wants them to do everything they can to protect Person.

What we know

Duke still hasn’t turned in the full rezoning request, but it might not be available until the day of the meeting! It’s just not enough time to understand the impacts of the project

Before the county and Duke hear the zoning request again, the community would need:

  • A chance to review the rezoning request’s impact on farms, health, land, & water.
  • Transparency about other industrial projects this would bring to the county, including Microsoft.
  • Protections for our health and the economic future of our community.

Some of the community concerns:

We needs answers about farms, health, accountability, & the cost of living

Threats to farms

  • Person County farms are being harmed for industry that mostly serves urban areas, and now big tech companies like Microsoft.
    • To protect our rural community, we need transparency about the industrial customers that would be served by this plant, especially Microsoft.
  • T-15 pipeline would have to run through acres of farmland to supply the plants with methane gas. Pipelines damage soil and reduce crop yields. They destroy more profitable opportunities for landowners, like crops, livestock, or solar.

 

Our health

  • Duke Energy’s own analysis found that air pollution from the plants could increase the surrounding area’s already high risk of cancer. (The area has higher rates of stroke, cancer, chronic heart disease, & COPD than 70% of adults in the U.S.)
    • The area nearby has higher rates of infant & child mortality & low birthweight, compared to the national average. (97th percentile, 95th, & 90th, respectively).
  • Duke plans to run the gas and coal plants at the same time. Duke should pay for independent air monitoring for pollution. We need to know how they will protect local residents from high pollution during that time.
  • Drinking water in one neighboring area was already poisoned by coal ash. The T-15 pipeline construction & potential leaks could contaminate even more local wells.
  • The T-15 pipeline to supply the plants is proposed to run next to Woodland Elementary. Pipeline leaks & accidents happen frequently in the US. Before rezoning, Duke needs to work with the pipeline builder to move the route so Woodland is out of the blast zone.

 

Accountability to the Community

  • Duke’s application to rezone the land was incomplete. Even if Duke turned in their plans as of this meeting, the public had no chance to understand the impacts.
    • Duke’s application was missing a vicinity map, topography, locations of perennial & intermittent waters, 100-year floodplain & structures within 100 feet of the land.
  • Rezones too much land: Duke does not have full state approval to build the second gas plant proposed. That land should not be rezoned without that approval.

 

Cost of Living + Jobs

  • This could raise our electric bills: Duke passes on the cost of gas prices and expensive new plants to customers (which could include Piedmont customers)
  • Duke estimates their statewide plan to build new gas plants (including the Hyco plants & more) would increase rates from 39-73%
  • The two proposed gas plants would only employ 40-60 people as long as they operate.
  • Risky investment: No guarantee that the gas power plants won’t be abandoned early due to state law. HB951 requires Duke to reduce carbon emissions.
    • Duke’s says the plants will eventually use hydrogen as fuel, but the technology to burn hydrogen and sources for hydrogen on an industrial scale do not exist.
    • We need more information on how Duke will ensure that Person isn’t home to abandoned coal turbines, gas plants, and pipelines.

You can download a handout about all of the Community Concerns about Rezoning Land for Hyco Gas Plants

Person County Commissioners Meeting – Rezoning Land for Hyco Gas Plants

Date: Monday, Feb. 3, 2025

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Person Co. Office Building (Rm 215)

Address: 304 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC

 

Can’t make it? You can still let your commissioners know what you think!

Commissioners Kyle Puryear, Jason Thomas, Tracy Ellixson, Antoinetta Royster, & Sherry Wilborn deserve to hear from you!

Email all 5: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

You can also call: 336-597-1720

More information on the gas plants, T-15, and other Person County industrial projects

The two methane gas power plants Duke Energy is proposing in Person County would be fed by the T-15 pipeline.

Community Concerns about Rezoning Land for Hyco Gas Plants

Fact sheet about all of the planned projects: Industrial Projects Proposed in Person County

Learn more about the T-15 pipeline, its proposed route and the gas plants at www.no-t15.org

Air Permit Fact Sheet: Find detailed information about the air pollution permit for the gas plants and community concerns.

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