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Residents, environmental advocates warn of health and equity impacts at hearing on Amazon and Duke permits
Summary
Multiple public commenters raised health-cost estimates and equity concerns during a DAQ hearing on draft permits for Amazon and Duke Energy projects in Richmond County, urging regulators to consider community impacts before issuing permits.
During the Division of Air Quality public hearing July 30, multiple members of the public urged regulators to weigh health, equity and environmental-justice concerns before issuing draft air quality permits for proposed projects in Richmond County.
Danielle Steed, who identified herself as co-director of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Act, told the hearing she opposed permitting that she said would "simply benefit the billionaires of Amazon and Duke Energy rather than the residents of this county and this state." Other commenters cited published estimates of large annual health costs associated with data-center energy use; the available transcript reports figures of between $53,000,000 and $99,000,000 but does not attribute those numbers to a named study in the record.
Speakers also included Ashley Hilliard, who identified herself as a "fieldwork expert in the Air Force," and additional registered commenters whose full remarks are recorded in the hearing record. The DAQ emphasized the comment period remains open through July 31, 2026, and that the hearing officer will forward a recommendation to the DAQ director after the comment period closes.
