NC Newsline: ‘Shame! Shame! Shame!’ Opponents of LNG plant outraged after Person County approval
“It took nearly two hours for dozens of opponents of a proposed liquified natural gas plant in Person County to explain how the project – aspects of which have been crafted in secret – would harm them, the environment and the planet.
The county commissioners took less than 20 seconds to approve it.
Over the passionate objections of more than 1,000 people who signed a petition and 350 more who attended Monday’s public hearing, the commissioners unanimously okayed a request by Dominion Energy to rezone 485 forested acres in southeastern Person County from rural to heavy industrial, the first permitting hurdle to building the plant…
As Newsline previously reported, Dominion plans to sell Public Service of NC – its subsidiary that would operate the Moriah Energy Center – to Enbridge, pending federal approval. Enbridge is a Canadian oil and gas company that is among the largest in North America; 20% of natural gas that is transmitted across the continent flows through its pipelines.
“They have a tremendous amount of expertise in natural gas infrastructure,” Rusty Harris, vice president and general manager of Dominion, and president of PSNC, told the county commission.
That expertise has not translated to environmental stewardship. Enbridge has racked up $282.5 million in environmental penalties since 2000, according to the Good Jobs First Violation Tracker.”
Read the full story at NC Newsline.