North Carolinians tell NCDEQ to Deny Water Permit for SSEP

RALEIGH, N.C. - More than 750 North Carolinians have spoken out against the proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project pipeline, telling the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to deny the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project pipeline a water quality permit.

The SSEP includes 55 miles of new pipeline proposed by Williams Transco that would run through Virginia and North Carolina and include compressor station expansions. Yesterday, the NCDEQ closed the public comment period on SSEP's 401 water quality certification permit, which is needed to start construction. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has also not yet issued its 401 permit, and is holding public hearings Oct. 22and 23.

The SSEP pipeline would cross more than 150 streams and wetlands in North Carolina. Transco plans to use a highly disruptive crossing method, called the dry-ditch open-cut method, for 94% of those crossings. This method can degrade water quality, pollute drinking water sources and harm habitat for aquatic species. The proposed route crosses both Jordan Lake and Randleman Lake watersheds, which together supply drinking water to more than 1 million North Carolinians and serve as a recreational area for residents across the state. Additionally, another proposed methane gas pipeline, Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate, is planned along part of the same route.

Several North Carolina communities have already taken a stand against SSEP. This summer, Forsyth and Guilford County commissioners passed resolutions opposing the proposed pipeline and urging regulators to take a more critical analysis of whether the pipeline is needed, with other votes expected in the coming weeks. The town of Midway also passed a similar resolution, opposing the pipeline's plan to run through its community. A group of more than three dozen North Carolina elected officials also submitted a letter to the NCDEQ, urging the agency to deny SSEP's water permit.

"If built, SSEP would threaten the drinking water of more than 1 million North Carolinians. Lawmakers cannot stand idly by when a dangerous project like this poses such serious harm to our constituents' health and livelihoods, which is why more than two dozen legislators and I are urging NCDEQ to deny SSEP's water permit and await recommendations from Governor Stein's Energy Policy Task Force," said North Carolina State Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-61, who represents an impacted county along the route of the proposed SSEP. Harrison also serves on the new Energy Policy Task Force, which had its first meeting in September.

"Every chance they get, North Carolinians voice their opposition to pipelines like SSEP," said Caroline Hansley, Campaign Organizing Strategist at Sierra Club."No one wants new dirty, dangerous pipelines polluting our state's waterways, taking property, and destroying our communities' health and wellbeing. Towns and counties in the path of this unneeded project have shown they care more about North Carolina residents than a billion dollar pipeline that would line the pockets of Transco, and it's time for the state to do the same."

"The SSEP pipeline poses a threat to crucial waterways in North Carolina, including drinking water sources for more than 1 million people," said Juhi Modi, North Carolina Field Coordinator at Appalachian Voices. "Residents across the state have made it clear that they oppose this dangerous project and have dire concerns about the impact it could have on our water, safety, health and electric bills. The NCDEQ must uphold its duty to protect the state's crucial natural resources and the health of its residents."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.

About Appalachian Voices

Appalachian Voices is a leading nonprofit advocate for a healthy environment and just economy in the Appalachian region, and a driving force in America's shift from fossil fuels to a clean energy future. For more information, visit https://www.appvoices.org.