By Nicole Eastman, Yadkin Riverkeeper
The Yadkin River at Boone’s Cave Park, a county park and historical site downstream of the proposed sites.
Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas are trying to push fast forward on their two proposed gas-fired power plants in Davie County and a massive liquified natural gas storage facility across the Yadkin River in Davidson County. This project would also include transmission lines and a 30-inch pipe 100-200 feet under the river connecting the two sites which can contribute to greater sedimentation in the Yadkin and downstream, High Rock Lake. This massive proposal would impact the Yadkin River through stormwater runoff, warmer and possibly polluted discharge, and the withdrawal of 1-10 million gallons of water per day to cool the gas-fired plants.
A map showing a potential pipeline route connecting the two Duke Energy sites.
At the end of August, a dedicated community advocate discovered Duke Energy sent a request to Davie County to approve a Certification of Zoning for the parcel Duke owns on the river, the Perkins Game Land. The certification allows for the two gas-fired plants, each about 1,360 megawatts, to be built on land zoned for residential and agricultural use instead of going through the rezoning process to designate the land for heavy industrial use. On September 10, Davie County approved Duke’s request for the certificate without any public notice or input. They completely skipped the rezoning process without establishing any conditions on an expansive industrial site near residents’ homes and farms.
On October 9, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) appealed the county’s decision to the Davie County Board of Adjustments on behalf of Yadkin Riverkeeper (YRK) and Appalachian Voices. YRK and partner organizations believe Duke Energy should be required to go through the typical rezoning process for this property and the county should hold a public hearing to actively engage their community members, the people impacted by this proposed industrial development.
Photo taken by Edgar Miller during a Southwings flight, the Buck Steam Station. Two of these gas-fired plants are proposed in Davie County on the Yadkin River.
Last week, YRK attended a 6-hour Davidson County Planning Board meeting to urge the board to deny a subsidiary of Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas’s (PNG) application to rezone a large parcel of land from rural agriculture to heavy industrial use. The room was full of concerned residents, many of which voiced reasons for the county to deny the rezoning request including the incompatibility of this proposal with the county’s land use plan which prioritizes protection of rural and agricultural land and properties along the Yadkin River. The project can also push Davidson County into non-attainment for air quality standards and prevent any future industrial development in the county that could provide jobs to its residents. The site location is surrounded by farms, homes, and the historic community of Petersville, established by formerly enslaved people, presenting serious environmental justice concerns.
However, the planning board voted 4-1 to approve the rezoning request with additional, but limited conditions. The board allowed for Duke Energy to present their justifications for the project and site location for 2.5 hours prior to the public hearing, and then Duke Energy had the chance to respond to our comments. The board and the lawyer for the large corporation continued to negotiate conditions to be added to the conditional rezoning for a couple more hours which includes the installation of downfacing lights to decrease light pollution, an additional vegetative berm along a portion of the development to decrease noise, access to a residential road only for construction and emergencies, and permitting farming on part of the property if the Department of Environmental Quality allows.
YRK and our partners do not find these conditions sufficiently protective for the surrounding residents, the air they breathe, or the Yadkin River. The site will contribute to light, noise, air, and stormwater pollution even with these conditions in place. The NC Utilities Commission still has not approved the gas-fired power plants proposed across the river in Davie County, the main justification for developing this massive storage facility in Davidson County.
This tremendous threat to the Yadkin River and its communities is not a done deal, and we need your help in supporting Davidson County residents and their opposition efforts to the project. The Davidson County Board of Commissioners will decide whether the property should be rezoned at a public hearing on November 9 at 6pm in Lexington (913 N. Greensboro St. on the fourth floor). Please reach out to the commissioners asking for them to defer their vote until Duke Energy has provided the necessary evidence that this project will not negatively impact the Yadkin River, the surrounding residents, or push Davidson County into non-attainment for air quality. We are also urging them to outright deny this project due to its irreversible impacts to the environment and the historic and rural character of Davidson County. The residents deserve better than a massive industrial development, what would be the tallest structures in the county, visible from the Yadkin River, and the resulting higher energy bills. Join us in showing up for the Yadkin River and Davidson County.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Nicole at nicole@yadkinriverkeeper.org.