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Siler City residents urge commissioners to push back against proposed Enbridge gas pipeline, citing eminent-domain fears
Summary
Speakers from Siler City's ETJ told the board they received letters from Enbridge land agents and fear surveyors and eminent-domain actions; they asked the town to meet with community organizers and requested town staff copies of the letters.
SILER CITY — Two residents used the public-comment period to press the Siler City Board of Commissioners for help after receiving notices about a proposed 28-mile natural gas pipeline said to run from Siler City toward Monure.
"My name is Andrea Dra. I live at 684 Bradford Rogers Lane," Andrea Dra told commissioners, describing a string of letters and a land-agent email from Doyle Land Services on behalf of Enbridge. Dra said the company has a history of fines and safety incidents and warned that land agents had said they would use eminent domain to obtain access. "We've been told they will be using eminent domain to take our land," she said, and urged the board to meet with organizers from a regional assembly to learn more.
Tony Williamson, who also identified his Siler City address, said he had knocked on doors in the ETJ and found "anxious, stunned, upset, downright scared" neighbors. Williamson said survey teams were staking properties and that drones and further surveying had been observed, and he asked the board to request copies of the letters residents had received.
Town staff responded that copies of the letters and correspondence could be provided to the board; commissioners asked staff to include those documents in follow-up communications. During back-and-forth questioning a statute was cited from memory (the transcript records references to "North Carolina statute 40-11" and also "48-11") that the speakers interpreted to allow natural-gas companies broad access for surveying; the exact citation was unclear in the record and should be verified by counsel.
What residents said and the board response - Claims by residents: Enbridge (a Canadian energy company) has allegedly sent letters and land-agent emails warning of eminent-domain use; residents said Enbridge has been fined in other states for spills and safety violations, and that survey crews had begun marking properties. - Board response: Commissioners asked for copies of letters and correspondence and accepted offers from residents to provide documentation. Staff and at least one resident noted they had consulted outside counsel about next steps.
The public comment concluded without board action beyond the request for documentation; residents asked the board to consider meeting with community organizers and to provide town assistance where lawful protections allow.
