Oak Ridge residents urge council to oppose Williams Transco pipeline expansion

Dozens of Oak Ridge residents asked the Town of Oak Ridge Town Council to adopt a resolution opposing the proposed Williams Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, saying the pipeline expansion would pose safety, water-contamination and property-value risks to neighborhoods, schools and churches.

The comments, delivered during a public-comment period dominated by the topic, urged the council to adopt a formal position and to forward that stance to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners and state officials. Community members also handed the council copies of a petition and a draft resolution of opposition signed by residents and supporters.

The request for a resolution was framed as both a public-safety and a land-use concern. “Oak Ridge First Baptist Church opposes the proposed expansion of the transcontinental gas pipeline due to the increased risks it poses to its members, Oak Ridge Town residents, and members of the surrounding communities,” said Austin Goldman, reading a statement on behalf of First Baptist Church, and adding that the church’s opposition is “on the basis of safety and not economics.” Several speakers asked the…