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Forsyth commissioners agree to place draft resolution on Southeast Supply Enhancement pipeline on Thursday agenda
Summary
Commissioners reviewed a draft resolution asking federal and state agencies to evaluate health, safety and environmental impacts of the Southeast Supply Enhancement pipeline and to consult impacted communities and emergency-management agencies. The board agreed to put the draft on the agenda for its Thursday meeting for further consideration.
Forsyth County commissioners on Aug. 25 reviewed a draft resolution that would ask the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to consider health, safety, environmental and economic impacts of the Southeast Supply Enhancement (Transco) pipeline before final approvals.
Commissioner sponsors said the draft is patterned on a Guilford County resolution and language provided by the Sierra Club, with edits to include Forsyth-specific concerns such as sections of high-pressure pipeline routed between existing pipeline corridors and near major medical facilities. The draft requests a comprehensive environmental assessment, meaningful consultation with impacted communities, coordination with local emergency-management agencies, and that permits be denied if excessive adverse impacts are found.
“It's not taking an absolute yes-or-no position on the pipeline, but it's specifying concerns that we think deserve additional consideration before final decisions are made,” one commissioner said. County staff and the county attorney described the draft as a discussion draft; the county attorney advised that FERC and DEQ have different statutory review domains and timelines and that either agency’s decision could be litigated.
After brief discussion, commissioners indicated they had seen enough to place the item on the board’s Thursday agenda for formal consideration. No formal vote on the resolution was taken at the Aug. 25 briefing.
