Residents and farmers urge county to oppose proposed Duke Energy gas plant on Yadkin River

Several speakers during the Davidson County budget public hearing on May 26 used their public-comment time to urge the board to oppose a proposed Duke Energy natural-gas facility planned near the Yadkin River and to demand more transparent pollution modeling.

Janine Verduto (introduced by the chair as a speaker) told the board she spoke on behalf of people who live and work along the Yadkin River and said the county’s long-term air-quality burden already approaches federal limits. Citing EPA data presented during her remarks, she said Davidson County’s fine particulate (PM2.5) design value was 8.8 micrograms per cubic meter, “dangerously close to the federal limit of 9.” She argued that adding a fossil-fuel facility and compressor-station expansion would increase particulate and chemical pollutants and called on commissioners to demand full disclosure of pollution modeling and health impacts.

Xander Bostick, a local farmer and owner-operator of Holly Grove Homestead, also urged the board not to support the plant, saying many farms near the Yadkin draw irrigation water from the river and warning that heated, contaminated discharge and additional airborne emissions could affect crops and livestock.

Speakers framed their opposition as a public-health and environmental-justice concern, saying the river belongs to local residents, farmers, anglers and future generations rather than to a utility. There was no board action on permitting or zoning for the project during the May 26 meeting; the comments were made during the budget hearing's public-comment period.

What happens next: Commissioners did not take formal action on the matter on May 26. Members of the public were told procedural guidance about when and how to bring more detailed comments forward; speakers were encouraged to follow up at subsequent meetings or with county staff.