Some Pipeline Permits Have Been Approved: The Fight Isn’t Over!
Update on the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP)
Despite fierce public opposition and 5 municipal resolutions, the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) issued water and air permits to Transco for the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP). Read NCDEQ's press release here.
"At every opportunity, North Carolinians have spoken out against SSEP," said Chris Herndon, Director of the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club. "More than 750 people urged NCDEQ to deny the water permit for this project, and several of the impacted counties and towns have passed resolutions opposing it. NCDEQ has chosen to ignore this clear opposition to this unnecessary and dangerous pipeline that would damage our streams, rivers, to the detriment of the wellbeing of North Carolinians. The fight isn't over. Our communities are dedicated to protecting their health and environment and will continue to stand up to pipelines like SSEP."
You can find NoSSEP's coalition press release through the Sierra Club here.
NCDEQ also approved two air permits the project needs to move forward.
What does this mean?
The short answer: the fight isn't over.
The project will next be reviewed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for ultimate approval. Impacted landowners are still mobilizing and, along with organizations in the NoSSEP coalition, are using "intervenor" status to try to slow down and stop this project.
While the permits come with some conditions, these are not stringent enough. Organizers and attorneys are reviewing the documents, and I will have more specifics on what these conditions mean and the impacts on our waterways for folks soon.
Want 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.
Upcoming Events to Oppose Fossil Fuels!
Learn more about the proposal to extract gas in Lee County for an AI data center, and what you can do to protect your community!
Lee Co. Community Meeting: Fracking, Drilling, & Data Centers
Thursday, January 22 at 7pm on ZOOM
Register at bit.ly/nofracklee
Did you know that developers are hoping to drill for gas and power an AI data center in Lee County? The abandoned gas well they want to use is located near the Lee-Chatham county line, south of U.S. Highway 421, close to Cumnock & Sanford, NC. It is unlikely this well will produce any usable amount of gas without hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"). Fracking has never been used in North Carolina.
This would pose serious threats to our drinking water wells, the Deep River, and our children's health. The air pollution from gas drilling or fracking, refining that gas, and burning it 24/7 in gas generators to power a data center would harm local residents' health. Join Clean Water for North Carolina and other leaders for a virtual community meeting to learn more about this proposal and what you can do to protect your community.
DATE CHANGE!
Mark 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 hear how we as a state are building resiliency in the face of the climate crisis. Join us for some celebration, dreaming of what's possible when we work in solidarity, and taking action steps to make those dreams reality.
Take care of yourselves and each other,
~ Aidan Loretz (they/them, she/her)
Haw River Assembly & 7 Directions of Service Community Organizer