Finding Strength in Community: SSEP has Been Authorized

Hi all you Awesome Advocates. Echoing from last week, as we prepare for the end of Winter and the incoming weather, it’s a good time to remind ourselves how we can survive the harsh storms of both Nature and the world around us. Take a deep breath. Drink some water. Tell someone you love them. In these times, those little things matter so much. I’m so grateful for the spirit of our Haw River Assembly community and that we have so many fierce friends in the fight against fossil fuels. 

What’s Next for the SSEP?

Yesterday evening, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorized the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project. You can read the press release from the NoSSEP Coalition through the Sierra Club here. 

Our fight doesn't stop. Haw River Assembly will continue to support efforts to keep frontline communities safe. The coalition's next steps involve organizing communities to prepare for construction monitoring, and HRA can play an essential role in training folks to know what to look for, how to look for it, and how to document it to keep our Waters safe. 

Haw River Assembly’s concerns on the open-cut, dry ditch methods Transco-Williams plans to use during the construction of the SSEP still stand. These methods will be used for the vast majority of the route, including the buffer areas of Jordan Lake and Randleman Lake. This causes great concern for sedimentation pollution and additional impact on local ecosystems. 

“This decision is a setback for the Haw River watershed and the communities and ecosystems that depend on our river.  Pipeline construction through the Haw watershed threatens streams, wetlands, and drinking water sources with sediment pollution and toxic contaminants from pipeline coatings, and destroys critical stream and wetland habitats. While we are disappointed, our commitment is unwavering. We will continue to protect the Haw River and our tributaries, and stand with our communities impacted by this unnecessary pipeline project.”

- Emily Sutton,. Haw Riverkeeper & Executive Director at Haw River Assembly

WE NEED YOU!!!

Organizers across the state are preparing to mobilize our communities to effectively monitor the construction of the SSEP pipeline. Documenting water quality before, during, and after construction is essential to ensure that we are holding Transco-Williams accountable and protecting our Water to the best of our ability.

Do you live along the route?

Know a landowner on the route?

Interested in learning how to document water quality?

Email aidan@hawriver.org ! Community trainings will be scheduled across the impacted areas. 

Want another way to voice your frustration and disappointment? Email me at aidan@hawriver.org, and I can help you with a letter to the editor and/or comments to local elected officials. We need voices of frustration to be heard by our state leadership! 

Climate Resiliency Curriculum

How do we equip individuals with the tools, knowledge, and resources to build resilient communities in the face of climate change?

The Haw River Assembly is excited to offer a hands-on training program designed to build climate resilience through education, research, and action. Research and education must be paired with action and advocacy. By the end of our Climate Resiliency Curriculum, students will be prepared to engage directly in their community on a local issue. See our curriculum flier with details and pricing HERE.

This two-to-three-day lesson plan supports students in:

1. Determining and clearly articulating their climate advocacy goals and concerns

2. Learning how to research climate change effectively and identify credible resources

3. Taking direct action by engaging with local systems of power to achieve actionable change

Upcoming Solidarity Event! Learn about Organizing Victories Across our State! 

Mark Sunday, March 8th, on your calendars for our broad solidarity effort of “Communities Over Corporate Profits Part 2: How We Win”! We will have storytellers from North Carolina communities who have successfully fought back against corporations, and we will hear how we, as a state, are building resiliency in the face of the climate crisis. Join us in Durham Central Park in the afternoon for some celebration, dreaming of what’s possible when we work in solidarity, and taking action steps to make those dreams a reality. 

No registration required. Detailed breakdown of day-of timing and speaker schedule TBA.

We are facing challenging times as a country. Together, in our corner of the world, we will fight to protect our Haw River and our community by standing in solidarity for justice for the water and justice for the people. As always, this is Aidan wishing community care, light, and love.