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Say no to Duke Energy’s plans for a methane gas power plant near the Triangle!
Join us! Public Hearing on a SECOND Duke Energy Gas Powerplant in Person County The NC Utilities Commission is holding a public meeting on whether to approve a second methane gas powerplant in Person County. Join us at the hearing May 5, Roxboro NC (40 min. north of Durham)! 6pm social hour, 7pm- hearing. RSVP to let us know you’re coming: [email protected] Duke Energy has approved plans for one methane gas power plant in Person County, NC. (north of Durham) Now they want a second. Studies & Duke’s own estimates show the increase in demand in electricity is from industrial customers, especially data centers. A gas lobbyist told NC legislators to make gas pipeline permitting faster, citing a new Microsoft data center nearby as a reason why. Duke customers should not have to pay for powerplants that serve big tech companies like MICROSOFT. Microsoft can generate their own CLEAN electricity with solar plus storage. Not a sound investment of everyday people’s money, since the plant may not get fully used with the NC law to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Join us at the Public Hearing- Monday, May 5 Join us at the NCUC public meeting!- Monday, May 5 Food + social hour at 6pm, hearing at 7 p.m. Person County Courthouse, 105 South Main Street, Roxboro, NC (40 minutes north of Durham) Need a ride? Want to carpool? Email us: [email protected]. We will reimburse mileage for anyone who takes 2 or more people in their car! RSVP, so we know how many to expect! Email [email protected] Can’t make it in-person? Go to the Virtual Hearing May 6 Sign up to comment at the virtual hearing! Tuesday, May 6 – 6:30pm – Online via WebEx. How to sign up: Click here to sign up to comment by 5pm April 29. Only the first 20 people who sign up will get to comment at the hearing. Email [email protected] if you plan to comment! We can share detailed info to help you write a strong comment & recruit others to do the same. Email me! Map of Proposed Gas Projects & Microsoft Mega-SiteComment to the NCUC- talking points & how to comment online Tell the NC Utilities Commission: No new gas plant! How to comment: Visit: ncuc.gov/contactus.html Put your name, email address, and for the docket number, use: E-2 Sub 1349 Write your comment (check out talking points below). Tell them why you as a Duke Energy customer or local resident don’t want this new gas plant! Click submit Some points to consider: Share your personal reasons you’re opposed. Mention if you are from an impacted community or a Duke customer (Share how higher billls have already affected you!) Reports show that North Carolina’s residential & industrial need for electricity can be met with efficiency and clean, renewable energy. Solar & wind are more cost-effective alternatives to gas. Person County is burdened by pollution. This community is already impacted by the coal plant’s air pollution and coal ash leaching into groundwater. Duke Energy admitted the gas plants could increase the risk of cancer for nearby residents. The area near the proposed site has significantly higher rates of infant and child mortality and babies born with a low birthweight, compared to the national avereage (97th percentile, 95th, and 90th, respectively). The area has higher rates of stroke, cancer, chronic heart disease, and COPD than 70% of adults in the U.S. Local residents & Duke customers refuse to pay (with money & with our health) for powerplants that serve big tech companies like Microsoft. Microsoft can generate their own CLEAN electricity with solar + storage. Methane is as bad for our climate as coal. Over a 20 year period, Methane is 80x as powerful as carbon dioxide. It leaks from fracking, pipelines, and at powerplants. Continuing to use it will make climate change worse. Learn more- Take further action This gas plant would need a massive pipeline to fuel it. Right now, NC DEQ is considering whether to approve this pipeline. Its called T-15 pipeline. Take action: cwfnc.org/no-t15 Fact sheet about all proposed methane gas projects in Person County (including T-15). Fact sheet about all pipeline projects in Rockingham County (including T-15, Southeast Supply Enhancement Project SSEP, and MVP Southgate). For more visit nossep.org Take the next step! Write a letter-to-the-editor and submit it to your local paper. This lets your neighbors know about the pipeline, and what they can do to oppose it. Check out this letter-to-the-editor guide from Appalachian Voices.
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T-15 Pipeline to fuel unneeded gas power plants. Comment Today!
Woodland Elementary School is located close to the pipeline route, raising local concerns that any leaks or accidents could endanger children. Today: Send a comment to NC Dept. of Environmental Quality with: Your concerns (in your own words!) about the T-15 project. Ask for public hearings in each of the 3 counties. Ask to be notified about any public hearings Detailed info on the concerns with the T-15 pipeline below. Use this info to fill out the comment form, at this link! ID number: 20250069 Version: 1 Name of project: EGNC T-015 Reliability Project Water Quality Certificate WON’T Protect Streams Along 45 Mile Pipeline! Enbridge is proposing a massive gas pipeline through Rockingham, Caswell, and Person Counties. The T-15 Reliability Project would deliver methane to two gas-powered Duke plants in Person County. The plants & T-15 pipeline are part of Duke’s plans to meet inflated demands for more electricity from big tech companies & other industrial customers. Now, NC DEQ is reviewing Enbridge’s application for a “Water Quality Certification”. Enbridge is a Canadian corporation with a history of violations. The T-15 pipeline would have many stream crossings in its 45 mile path. Enbridge plans it to be 30-36 inches wide, a huge diameter for a pipeline. Concerns with the T-15 Pipeline The T-15 project would supply one or more gas-powered Duke plants. These plants received approval based on exaggerated projections of electrical demand. The pipeline, compressor station, and power plants would leak methane. This would undermine NC’s ability to reach emission reduction goals for climate stabilization. The T-15 project would impact over 100 stream crossings, over 7 miles of streams, and wetlands. Enbridge is only seeking a National Permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. This type of permit is less strict, and not enough to account for the pollution caused by this large project. It would be impossible to draft a 401 permit (or enforce it) to ensure water quality is protected in the impacted tributaries to the Roanoke River. The T-15 pipeline is a financial risk to Duke customers. Rate payers will pay the cost of building it, plus the profits to Enbridge. In the future, non-emitting electric generation will be required to meet climate goals. This pipeline will become a stranded asset, paid for by ratepayers and then abandoned. This pipeline will not fit within the corridor for the existing smaller pipeline that runs along most of the pipeline route. To build the T-15, Enbridge is seeking much larger easements and additional work space. Impacted landowners in all three counties are expressing concerns. Due to the 45 mile length of the pipeline, one public hearing in one location is not enough to allow all three counties a chance to comment. Each county should have its own public hearing. Learn More Fact sheet about all proposed methane gas projects in Person County (including T-15). Fact sheet about all pipeline projects in Rockingham County (including T-15, Southeast Supply Enhancement Project SSEP, and MVP Southgate). For more visit nossep.org Take the next step! Write a letter-to-the-editor and submit it to your local paper. This lets your neighbors know about the pipeline, and what they can do to oppose it. Check out this letter-to-the-editor guide from Appalachian Voices.
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PFAS don’t HAVE to be forever, IF we stand up. Here’s how:
PFAS seep into groundwater when they are manufactured, used in products or agriculture, and through the landfills where they are disposed Join us at a public hearing or comment online! PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they last a long time in the environment, including in our groundwater. PFAS are linked to cancer, low birth weight, autoimmune disorders, and so much more. However, there are solutions. If we stand up for our communities, PFAS don’t have to be forever. Setting strong groundwater standards is an important part of getting to the solution. This month, stand up with Clean Water for NC & allies at a public hearing on PFAS in your area. You can also submit your comment online. Right now, NC DEQ is considering setting final standards for 3 PFAS in groundwater. That’s less than the interim standards they recently adopted for 8 types of PFAS in groundwater. Let NC Department of Environmental Quality know: We support these standards for these 3 PFAS. We want to DEQ to adopt permanently the interim standards they set for the other 5 PFAS. That the only real solution to prevent continuing buildup of PFAS chemicals in our environment is to stop production of these “convenience chemicals” for stain resistance, stick free properties, etc. Join CWFNC at the last public hearing in RALEIGH, TODAY Raleigh December 3, 2024, 6 pm (doors 5pm) Ground Floor Hearing Room, Archdale Building, 512 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27604 Check out talking points below! Even if you don’t comment, your presence at a hearing sends a LOUD message to decision makers. Submit a comment online! From Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024, Email comments: [email protected] Mail to: Bridget Shelton NC DEQ Division of Water Resources, Planning Section 1611 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1611 Talking points for your comment below! Talking points for your comment What’s wrong with PFAS (also known as forever chemicals): PFAS stay in environment for years, some can collect over time in humans and animals. They can even be passed down through generations from mother to child through umbilical cord blood and breastfeeding. PFAS are linked to cancer and increased risk of heart disease, lowered immune function, PFAS jeopardize NC’s future, they are linked to birth defects, infertility, & low birth weight. NC DEQ estimates 1/3 of North Carolinian’s drinking water has PFAS above the EPA’s limits. More than 80 public water systems have detected PFAS in the groundwater that is their drinking water source, and thousands, if not tens of thousands of private well owners in the state have PFAS in their water. Talking points on groundwater standards: Support adopting the proposed groundwater standards for these 3 PFAS. Demand DEQ permanently adopt the interim standards they set for the other 5 PFAS as well. In spring 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the first-ever drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals, requiring public drinking water to be tested and treated for PFAS. Unfortunately, these rules do not protect residents who rely on private well water as their primary source of drinking water, making state action vital to protect public health. To protect North Carolina community members from PFAS exposure, the Environmental Management Commission should adopt this proposal, but also move forward with a “class-based” or “subclass” approach to PFAS—this means regulating many PFAS together at once. With thousands PFAS in use – and with similar and cumulative toxic impacts – regulating them three at a time will take too long to protect human health. Groundwater standards are not enough, we need to set strong limits on PFAS in surface water. We need to set health protective standards for additional PFAS, including ones in more recent use. The three standards in the current proposal are for PFAS chemicals that were used more commonly in the past; meanwhile companies are using – and spilling – many other, newer PFAS that are also toxic.
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No Sacrifice Zones: Appalachian Resistance comes to DC September 8th!
In order to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, Senators Manchin and Schumer made a deal which introduces a separate piece of legislation that would fast-track permit approvals for fossil fuel projects in September. While no one has seen the official legislation, the leaked one-page summary of the deal limits foundational environmental protections, endangers public health, fast-tracks fossil fuels, and pushes approval for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and a draft legislation text even bears the watermark from the American Petroleum Institute. This side deal has been written by and for the fossil fuel industry, and further causes concerns for frontline communities. The summary document released by Manchin’s office would introduce a wide range of changes to the time tables of the decisions made by regulatory agencies reviewing energy projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act and other authorities These changes include, among other revisions: Reinstating limitations on state authority under the Clean Water Act that were made during the Trump administration Requiring federal agencies to concurrently review the different authorizations and permits for a project, and limiting NEPA review to two years for major projects and one year for smaller projects Creating loopholes for certain projects to avoid NEPA review altogether Establishing an avenue for the Secretary of Energy to make a determination whether an energy project is in the national interest, as opposed to the Secretary of State. These measures would put a great deal of strain on federal agencies and courts, and possibly force these institutions to take information presented by the companies requesting permits at face value instead of having the ability to do their own due diligence. Appalachia, and all other sacrifice zones at risk due to this potential legislation, refuse to be sacrificed for political purposes. We must protect the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), tribal sovereignty and frontline communities having a say. Clean Water for NC joined with 650 groups in a letter to reject Machin’s side deal which fast tracks MVP and limits important environmental protections for energy projects. Ways YOU can take action: Sign this petition opposing this side deal: Appalachian Voices Petition Send a letter to your representative: https://tinyurl.com/blockthedeal Attend the September 8th Rally!
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Preparing for an Active Atlantic Hurricane Season
The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1st and lasts until November 30th, with the peak falling around September 10th. The effects of climate change have been felt more deeply in recent years, with wildfires and drought in the West, and rising sea levels and flooding on the East Coast and elsewhere. The climate crisis has also been linked to increased storm frequency and hurricane strength. Just last year, the Atlantic Hurricane Season produced 21 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater), including seven hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater) of…
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REPORT: “A Pandemic’s Impact – Utility Disconnections, Evictions & Houselessness”
Clean Water for NC has been involved in advocating for low-income North Carolinians against utility rate increases for years, and we saw new concerns emerge with COVID’s significant financial hardship for many families nationally and in North Carolina. Staff, along with volunteer Lee Barnes, explored the nuances and impacts of the pandemic on utility insecurity, eviction insecurity, and houselessness in the U.S., and specifically North Carolina, during COVID-19. Read the Report: "A Pandemic's Impact" The Utility and eviction moratoria are discussed in the context of race and class, especially considering access to utilities and reasonably priced rent before the pandemic as compared to during. The nature of utility shut-offs and why utility access is so important during a pandemic is covered in some detail, and there is discussion of private vs. public water utilities. We examine types of evictions and the legal nature of these evictions, along with the geographic patterns of evictions in the United States. The emotional, financial, and medical impacts of houselessness on Americans, especially during the pandemic, and especially during the climate crisis, are explored, as well as their racial context. We also include resources and highlight organizations providing assistance. Clean Water for NC aims to demonstrate our commitment to holistically considering the issues facing underserved communities. We hope state policies better protect BIPOC communities facing water disconnections, higher rates of eviction, and unhoused status. Read the Report: "A Pandemic's Impact"
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NC Legislature Finalizing Redistricting Maps – Be A Voice For YOUR Community!
Our General Assembly is preparing to finalize the redistricting maps that could shape the state’s politics for a decade. Why Redistricting Matters! This is how funding is determined for communities,This determines how many House of Representatives each district receives, andRedlining can determine how votes are combined to favor one political party over another. The Republican-led legislature is aiming to have the maps for congressional districts and the General Assembly completed by Nov. 5. The state’s redistricting committees just announced public hearings…
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Acknowledging the Sacred Indigenous Lands of North Carolina
“Our country was conceived on a promise of equality and opportunity for all people — a promise that, despite the extraordinary progress we have made through the years, we have never fully lived up to. That is especially true when it comes to upholding the rights and dignity of the Indigenous people who were here long before colonization of the Americas began. For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures. Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect…
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