Residents urge Chatham County commissioners to oppose Enbridge 28-mile pipeline

Hundreds of residents and local organizers told the Chatham County Board of Commissioners they do not want a proposed 28-mile Enbridge Gas pipeline routed through farms, rivers and drinking-water catchments. At a special public-comment meeting, speakers cited past spills and explosions and urged county action to require special-use permits and environmental review.

"Please utilize further assessments and requirements for Enbridge, such as a special use permit and a thorough environmental impact statement from the Army Corps of Engineers before allowing this project to continue," Amanda Clark said, citing public-health concerns for wells and soil. Multiple speakers described Enbridge’s record in other states and said a pipeline under the Rocky, Deep and Haw rivers threatens the county’s water resources and farmland.

Speakers pressed the board to use whatever local authority exists — including passing a resolution of opposition, requiring conditional-use or special-use permitting for pipelines, filing to intervene in state utility dockets, and demanding independent environmental reviews — before state or federal permitting moves forward. Several speakers, including planning-board members and scientists, highlighted the project’s proximity to sensitive waterways and rare species and urged the board to prepare formal documentation for the state review process.