North Carolina DEQ Approves Water, Air Permits for SSEP

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RALEIGH, N.C. — At the moment, the North Carolina Division of Environmental High quality has authorised the water and air permits for Transco’s proposed Southeast Provide Enhancement Venture pipeline.

The NCDEQ authorised the air allow on Dec. 18 and the water allow on Dec. 19. The SSEP undertaking contains 55 miles of recent pipeline proposed by Williams Transco that will run by way of Virginia and North Carolina, and likewise contains compressor station expansions. The pipeline would cross greater than 150 streams and wetlands in North Carolina, utilizing strategies that may degrade water high quality, pollute ingesting water sources and hurt habitat for aquatic species. The proposed route crosses each Jordan Lake and Randleman Lake watersheds, which collectively provide ingesting water to greater than 1 million North Carolinians and function a leisure space for residents throughout the state.

The choice to approve these permits ignored the enter from 5 impacted municipalities, which handed resolutions expressing concern and opposition to the SSEP over the previous six months. These embody the city of Halfway, Guilford County, Forsyth County, the town of Greensboro, and Davidson County.

In response, the Sierra Membership and companions launched the next statements:

“At each alternative, North Carolinians have spoken out towards SSEP,” stated Chris Herndon, Director of the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Membership. “Greater than 750 individuals urged NCDEQ to disclaim the water allow for this undertaking — and a number of other of the impacted counties and cities have handed resolutions opposing it. NCDEQ has chosen to disregard this clear opposition to this pointless and harmful pipeline that will injury our streams, rivers, and air, placing the income of corporations like Transco forward of the wellbeing of North Carolinians. The combat isn’t over. Our communities are devoted to defending their well being and setting and can proceed to face as much as pipelines like SSEP.”

“It looks as if Transco has gone out of its manner to decide on a number of the most dangerous strategies for this undertaking — polluting gas-powered compressor stations as a substitute of electrical and harmful dry-ditch, open-cut stream crossings,” stated Juhi Modi, North Carolina Area Coordinator for Appalachian Voices. “NCDEQ’s choice to associate with that is baffling and opposite to its mission to guard North Carolina residents and their communities.”

“Environmental hurt is already excessive within the communities the place Transco proposes to assemble its Southeast Provide Enhancement Venture, a proposal which places our air, clear ingesting water, rivers, and streams in danger for generations,” stated Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck of seven Instructions of Service. “NCDEQ’s choice to grant SSEP’s air and water permits ignores widespread public opposition and concern for well being and security. We’ll hold elevating our voices towards SSEP, and the damaging insurance policies that put company revenue over group wellbeing.”

“Folks in North Carolina have had sufficient of excessive energy payments and fixed information about contamination compromising our ingesting water,” stated Steph Gans, Assistant Director at Clear Water for North Carolina. “Approving this allow fails to satisfy the second: Folks wish to see change. We received’t cease preventing for that.”

Concerning the Sierra Membership

The Sierra Membership is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental group, with hundreds of thousands of members and supporters. Along with defending each particular person’s proper to get outside and entry the therapeutic energy of nature, the Sierra Membership works to advertise clear power, safeguard the well being of our communities, defend wildlife, and protect our remaining wild locations by way of grassroots activism, public training, lobbying, and authorized motion. For extra data, go to www.sierraclub.org.