Friends of the Earth has worked in tandem with North Carolina’s impacted communities for years to push the Governor to adopt stronger environmental justice practices, including increased community representation in environmental permitting and decision-making. 

Donna Chavis, Climate & Energy Justice Program Manager at Friends of the Earth and member of the Lumbee Nation, issued the following statement: 

Governor Cooper’s announcement is welcome news for those of us who have long been fighting to elevate environmental justice issues in North Carolina.  

This positive step forward shows his administration is listening to those bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. Adding these crucial accountability measures will help increase cabinet agency scrutiny of impacts on most vulnerable communities.  

We look forward to working with the Governor to build on this evolutionary work by strengthening and supporting continued outreach and engagement of those most affected by the administration’s policies.

Communications contact: Brittany Miller, bmiller@foe.org, (202) 222-0746  

The post Friends of the Earth Celebrates Executive Action on Environmental Justice in North Carolina appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

This week the coalition held a press conference and launched an online petition to call for a fair redistricting process through an independent, community-led redistricting commission. Recent polling shows that the people of North Carolina are tired of politicians engaging in partisan gamesmanship while wasting taxpayer dollars on unnecessary litigation year after year.

Gerrymandering efforts throughout the state has cost North Carolina between $10-25 million from 2011-2023, while more effective and far more democratic solutions exist. These civil society, nonprofit and community-led groups are leading efforts to unify communities rather than allowing partisan efforts to tear them apart for political gain.

“It is a fact that our most vulnerable communities, specifically our Black, Brown and low wealth communities, are the most directly impacted by gerrymandering,” said Jovita Lee, Program and Policy Director, NC Black Alliance and Advance Carolina. “It strips their ability to develop adequate and equitable political power by diluting their representation and creating a more difficult pathway to the ballot box. As a state, we deserve a transparent process that is led by the actual community who will be impacted by the process. An independent redistricting commission will achieve that.”

“We wanted to envision a redistricting process that puts the actual people of North Carolina and their communities first. The people of North Carolina are tired of partisan gamesmanship and gerrymandering – not only do we know that from recent polling but we also see that evidenced by the fact that the largest growing segment of voters in our state are unaffiliated voters,” said Kyle Hamilton Brazile, Director of Civic Engagement for NC Counts Coalition. “We also want to embrace the uniqueness of North Carolina in a way that draws lines to unify communities and not tear them apart, as the current redistricting process has done time and again for decades. That is why we support a truly independent redistricting commission that draws political boundaries in a way that makes sense for the people of the state, and puts the people’s interest over the politicians’.”

“Twenty twenty-four will be the 100 years that we, Indigenous Peoples of the United States, were granted Citizenship of the United States,” said Mary Crowe with Eastern Cherokee Organization. “Henry Owle, the first member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians graduated from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill soon after and went to vote in Swain County and was denied the right to vote.”

“Having politicians draw their own voting districts is one of the biggest conflicts of interest in our government,” said Tyler Daye with Common Cause NC. “When Democrats and Republicans have been in power in the North Carolina legislature, they both have shown an unwillingness to draw maps that do not favor their party. We need a better process, and the Independent Redistricting Commission in S642 provides that, placing the power of drawing the people’s voting districts where it should be in the hands of the everyday people of this state, not politicians.”

“When I hear about any piece of legislation, the first questions I ponder are ‘Is it fair?’ and ‘How does it impact the lives of people?’ If these questions are not answered in the affirmative, it does not pass the litmus test,” said Conchita McIver with North Carolina Counts Coalition.

Coalition members include: CROWD/Venture Enterprise, NC Counts Coalition, NC Black Alliance, N.C. Voters Clean Election, NC Counts Coalition, NC Asian Americans Together (NCAAT), Advance North Carolina, El Pueblo, Democracy NC, Common Cause NC, NC A Philip Randolph Inst., Fville Chapter, Action NC, Friends of the Earth, Raleigh Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Public Interest Network, League of Women Voters NC, Hispanic Federation, NC Business Council, Eastern Cherokee Organization, Redistricting Foundation, BluePrint NC, NC APRI Charlotte, Southern Vision Alliance, Robeson County Sustainable Development Co-op.

Contact:
Shaye Skiff, Friends of the Earth, kskiff@foe.org, 202-222-0723
Joselle Torres, Democracy NC, press@democracync.org

The post Democracy Coalition Follows Gov. Cooper in Calling for Independent Redistricting Commission appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

“NCDEQ has spent years doing nothing in the areas where it can regulate the poultry industry,” Currie stated, “NCDEQ’s hands-off approach, which turns a blind eye towards basic poultry litter and litter hauling regulations, is allowing the operators of poultry Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) and poultry companies to pollute our land, air and water. Water sampling by Riverkeeper programs and others has shown that industrial animal agriculture is polluting our waterways with bacteria, nitrates and phosphorous at alarming levels. Living one-half mile from a 16-barn poultry operation and just over one mile from a total of 28 poultry barns, I’ve experienced the stench of poultry waste and the waves of flies that invade the homes and lives of the majority low income and Black, Brown and Indigenous people in our communities. These industrial animal operations are harmful to the health of our families and the waterways of the Lumber River, yet NCDEQ does nothing. We hope this complaint compels EPA to investigate NCDEQ’s failures and spurs DEQ to put a check on this proliferating and polluting industry.”

Last year, the North Carolina poultry industry produced 1 billion chickens and turkeys. At any given time, there are at least 100 birds for every person in the state. Dry litter poultry facilities confine thousands of chickens or turkeys in rows of long barns that have proliferated across the state.

According to Chavis, “Poultry facilities are the fastest growing in North Carolina’s Industrial Animal Operations industry and yet it remains the least regulated. The failure to regulate and properly monitor these facilities endangers the health and safety of those closest to them. It also puts at risk the air and water standards for entire regions. It is time that North Carolina holds these facilities accountable. Today’s filing is a major step in that direction.”

The litter from the barns — a combination of feces, urine, water and sawdust or other bedding — is typically stored in outdoor piles attracting rodents and flies before being spread across fields as fertilizer. Chemicals and nutrients from the litter run off into the waterways, and aerosolized particles from the dust blow across the region, impacting water and air quality and causing adverse human health impacts and putrid odors. The communities near dry litter poultry facilities are predominantly Black, Native and Latino and bear a disproportionate burden of pollution from these facilities.

“Dry litter poultry facilities comprise the largest industry in North Carolina yet have been unlawfully allowed to operate without adequate regulations in place,” said Hallie Templeton, Legal Director for Friends of the Earth. “This lack of regulation fails to protect the environment and nearby communities from industrial agriculture pollution. It also prevents state officials and the public from accessing vital statistics and records related to the industry. Today’s filing launches the first step toward finally securing much needed standards for this prevalent and destructive industry.”

Dry litter poultry operates in a unique regulatory gap: it is the only animal feeding operation that is categorically not subject to NCDEQ permitting or regulatory requirements. A new poultry grower can show up at any time in any location subject only to often permissive local zoning requirements. NCDEQ does not inspect these facilities or request any information about their operations, not even their locations.

“NCDEQ failures to adequately regulate dry litter poultry facilities continue to harm community health and shows a clear pattern of disregard by NCDEQ — to protect the health of communities previously harmed by the hog industry,” said Fredrick Ole Ikayo, LLM Fellow at the Environmental Justice Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School. “Allowing poultry facilities to be sited anywhere without an actual permit result in added harms to communities and operation with impunity by poultry facilities.” The Complaint calls upon EPA to investigate NCDEQ’s violations and compel DEQ to bring dry litter poultry under a comprehensive and adequately protective permitting regime to ensure equitable environmental, health and wellbeing outcomes for all residents in North Carolina.

Poultry is not the first industry NCDEQ has allowed to go unchecked. Industrial hog facilities have long afflicted these same residents: Duplin and Sampson rank the highest in concentration of hog operations in the United States. In 2018, NCDEQ came to a settlement agreement with grassroots environmental organizations that alleged similar Title VI violations regarding the health, environmental and wellbeing harms stemming from hog facilities in Native, Black and Latino communities. Now, dry litter poultry facilities are concentrating in the same areas already overburdened by the hog industry, creating a panoply of cumulative harms not being accounted for by NCDEQ.

NCDEQ is a recipient of federal funds and is obligated to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race by agencies receiving federal funds, including agency practices that have a discriminatory effect on people of color.

The Complaint collects declarations from local residents about the impacts of the dry litter poultry industry on their communities and quality of life:

• Henry Brewer, a lifelong resident of Robeson County, describes the litter or crust from nearby dry litter facilities: “Crust is dumped across the street from my house around every hundred days . . . Each of the five piles is over eight feet tall. They stand there and start fuming off. The odor is terrible. Sometimes it feels like the flies are about to eat us alive — the dogs can’t even live in the yard.”
• Brewer also said, “I helped [my daughter] buy a home but she didn’t want a home here. I remember she told me that she would never come back to Robeson County because people are dying and it’s not going to change unless we do something about it.”
• David Shane Lowry, a member of the Lumbee Tribe and resident of Robeson County, observed, “Rates of asthma and cancer are increasing rapidly while quality of life declines. I cannot prove where the cancer is coming from, but we are starting to see what they call cancer clusters.”
• Mac Legerton, co-director of the Robeson County Cooperative for Sustainable Development, a minister and a canoe and kayak outfitter, said of the water quality concerns: “In the summer, the swamps contain algae now because of runoff from poultry facilities and the spreading of litter. The algae issue has significantly increased in the last five or ten years. As an outfitter on the Lumber River, I question whether or not I should encourage canoers and kayakers, including young children, to float and swim in the river. The toxic waste from poultry finds its way into our small swamps and river, impacting both water quality and the health of fish and other aquatic life. Many families who live on a subsistence level are dependent on fish as a food source.”

Communications contact:  Brittany Miller, Friends of the Earth, (202) 222-0746, bmiller@foe.org

The post Civil Rights Complaint Calls For Regulation of Dry Litter Poultry Industry In North Carolina appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

The RLNG pipeline, which is already being constructed, will be a one billion cubic foot peaking and storage facility located in Robeson County, North Carolina, a geographic area that is 87.9% Indigenous (predominantly Lumbee) as well as African American.

“While they promote themselves as a leader in addressing the climate crisis, Duke Energy continues to push high-risk schemes such as the RLNG in vulnerable communities,” said Donna Chavis, senior climate campaigner for Friends of the Earth and an elder of the Lumbee Nation. “Investments in fossil fuel infrastructure make no sense financially or ecologically. We intend to hold Duke Energy accountable for its actions that damage the environment and impacted peoples.”

The formal notice of intent to sue identifies Clean Water Act violations associated with the pipeline permit, including relying on the legally deficient Nationwide Permit 12. This is the second time that the Corps has been notified of violations.

“The project is near multiple existing utilities crossings of swamps and the Lumber River, and these new impacts further degrade water quality and increase local flooding,” said Jefferson Currie II, Lumber Riverkeeper with Winyah Rivers Alliance and a member of the Lumbee Tribe of NC. “In addition, this unneeded Duke Energy project is along what local Lumbee and Tuscarora people call ‘Long Swamp,’ where significant archaeological and historical sites attest to the sustained cultural presence of our Indigenous communities in this place for thousands of years.”

Unless the U.S. Army Corps rescinds the permit and issues a stop work order for the pipeline’s construction, Friends of the Earth and Winyah Rivers Alliance plan to file their lawsuit in federal court once the 60-day notice period has ended. The parties are represented by attorneys at Calhoun, Bhella & Sechrest, LLP.

Communications contact: Brittany Miller, (202) 222-0746, bmiller@foe.org

The post Friends of the Earth and Winyah Rivers Alliance Notify U.S. Army Corps of Lawsuit over Robeson LNG Pipeline appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

While we are disappointed that Secretary Regan will likely be nominated as EPA Administrator by President-elect Biden, we are prepared to work with the Agency and the Biden Administration on policies that support a healthy and just world. Because the environmental and climate challenges that we face are immense and escalating, the EPA has to do more than simply regain lost ground; the agency has to forge a whole new path. This moment requires strong, visionary leadership rooted in environmental justice principles and practices. While Secretary Regan has not always followed all avenues in support of or on behalf of communities who face disproportionate and cumulative environmental impacts, we look forward to working with the new administration on advancing policies and practices that are aligned with environmental justice principles.

Chavis works and organizes in North Carolina, where Regan has been secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality since 2017.

Communications Contact: Kaela Bamberger, kbamberger@foe.org, 202-222-0703

The post FOE Statement on the appointment of Michael Regan to head the EPA appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

by Donna Chavis, senior fossil fuels campaigner and member of the Lumbee tribe

The climate crisis has been caused by an extractive economy that has pulled wealth from our Earth and communities and left them to face the consequences. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline was the prime example of just how dangerous that extractive economy is.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline would have destroyed wildlife and the environment, and disproportionately harmed Native American, Black, and low wealth communities — all to help special interests line their pockets.

The fight against this pipeline was built from the ground up by local communities. By banding together in their David versus Goliath struggle against Duke and Dominion Energy, communities took to the streets and came out victorious in stopping this fossil fuel pipeline.

The main takeaway? Grassroots pressure will lead us to the end of fossil fuels.

Background: An Energy Monopoly

Duke Energy has a chokehold on North Carolina. Duke generates 90% of the electricity in the state — and now North Carolinians are beholden to this energy monopoly. As one of the worst carbon polluters in the country, Duke has mismanaged coal ash waste, poisoned communities with polluted air and water, wreaked environmental destruction, and stood in the way of a transition to 100% renewable energy. The monopoly has expanded the state’s dependence on fossil fuels and has a long history of corrupting democracy through campaign contributions.

In an effort to push us further into an extractive economy, Duke teamed up with Virginia-based Dominion Energy to create the Atlantic Coast Pipeline: A fracked gas pipeline along a 600-mile route from West Virginia through Virginia, North Carolina and ultimately South Carolina. A project that would further Duke’s stranglehold on North Carolina.

Climate, Justice and Ethical Concerns

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline was slated to carry 1.5 billion cubic feet of fracked natural gas across hundreds of miles. It would have generated 67 million metrics tons of climate pollution a year — equal to 20 coal plants. And natural gas pipelines leak methane, a greenhouse gas that is roughly 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This pipeline was built on the greed that our extractive economy relies upon, locking states into 30 years of fracked gas use.

On top of the climate-destroying emissions the pipeline would have spewed, construction of the pipeline would have required miles of mountaintop removal and blown out bedrock, potentially causing erosion that could plug up waterways. It would have wound through farmland, forests, wildlife and habitats — damaging everything in its path.

Instead of pushing us towards the end of fossil fuels that our planet needs, this pipeline would have spewed greenhouse gases, poisoned waterways and delayed a transition to clean renewable energy.

The number one concern of folks living along its path was water contamination — especially for the impacted communities of Indigenous, Black and other peoples of color. As a member of the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina, water is life. This pipeline would have run through the Lumbee river — which is a constitution of our Native life. Without this river, we would not be here. We fish in the river, as we have for centuries, and any contaminant in the water could wind up in our bodies. As more than 30,000 Native peoples live along the proposed path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, this project threatened every aspect of our historic and cultural ways of life. It represents yet another in a centuries-long succession of invasions.

Projects like the Atlantic Coast Pipeline target communities of color and low wealth. The pipeline model is one piece of a bigger pattern of mega-corporations building dumps, toxic animal agriculture farms, fossil fuel infrastructure and other polluting sites in marginalized communities. In many cases, they don’t even shy away from officially declaring our communities sacrifice zones.

This is the extractive economy at work — destroying our communities and lands and walking away while we suffer the toxic consequences. This is why we need an end of fossil fuels.

Duke and Dominion were only further emboldened thanks to their close relationships with government officials and regulatory bodies, giving them considerable leverage to push the project forward.

Duke Energy has a long history of buying legislation and legislators with campaign contributions — that history repeated itself with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Duke donated $43,750 to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who hired a former Dominion Energy oil lobbyist as his legislative director. Dominion Energy, in turn, contributed $110,000 to Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, who was unsurprisingly very enthusiastic about the project. Dominion also contributed significant campaign donations to the Virginia Senate’s minority and majority leaders.

Duke and Dominion were just as giving with regulatory officials in the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The head of the department has long accepted gifts from Dominion while one of its division directors previously served as a Dominion attorney.

Aside from ensuring a cozy relationship with state officials, Duke and Dominion also had considerable federal muscle. Within the first week of being in office, Donald Trump signed an executive order to expedite 50 ‘high priority’ infrastructure projects, including (you guessed it) the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. As the only pipeline on the list, it was clear that Trump’s administration would be pushing hard to get this pipeline on the ground.

Duke and Dominion’s toxic influence also crept its way into Trump’s cabinet. Attorney General William Barr served on the board of Dominion Energy up until he was confirmed as AG. Despite a clear conflict of interest, and $2.3 million from Dominion in cash and stock awards, Barr reportedly did not recuse himself from activities relating to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline when the project was ruled on by the Supreme Court — despite doing so in other cases involving his past work.

Between its toll on the environment, an attempt to sacrifice Native American, Black and low wealth communities, and a recurring pattern of morally questionable ties between energy companies and government, Atlantic Coast Pipeline was the poster child of environmental injustice and dark money at work.

Resistance from Local Communities

This pipeline was defeated by on-the-ground communities.

To defeat the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, solidarity by Indigenous and Black communities was vital. From the Northern gate of the pipeline, a majority Black community, down to Robeson County, a majority Native American and Black community, and everywhere in between, we stood together. As we worked up and down the pipeline route, we crossed boundaries of race and class and brought communities together. We held each other up and kept going until we were on the phone in celebration once the pipeline was defeated.

We took to the streets and made it clear we have no tolerance for these fossil fuel projects that poison our bodies, land, air and water.

We spoke out to Congress, state officials and financial institutions, calling for the project to be cancelled. We marched throughout North Carolina. We took over the streets of the Supreme Court. We interrupted Governor Cooper to make sure he heard our voices. We fought this pipeline for years and years — and we never backed down. And, even now that the pipeline is cancelled, we still will not back down from holding Duke and Dominion accountable.

This fossil fuel project was defeated thanks to our communities speaking out and demanding that our voices be heard. Let it be a lesson: grassroots activism can and will bring down the fossil fuel industry.

What’s Next

We cheered and celebrated the end of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. After years of pressure, David won his battle against Goliath. But the fight is not over.

Though the pipeline will never be finished, we still must dismantle the existing infrastructure. There are pipes placed on the ground painted with toxic materials that have now been over-exposed. Officials recommend sun exposure of these materials for no more than six months. The Atlantic Coast pipes have been exposed for four years — and now toxins are seeping into our water tables.

There is also the question of what abandonment of the pipeline means for the hundreds of landowners along its route. Landowners are bearing the burden of Duke and Dominion taking over their backyards. Now that the pipeline threat is gone, citizens will now have to take to the courts to figure out what this means for them. Yet again, there is an outrageous abuse of power as communities scramble to sort out clean up for mega-corporations’ messes.

Duke and Dominion’s cancellation of this pipeline does not clean their hands of decades of environmental destruction and pollution — despite what they want you to think. These companies externally claim they are now all about renewable energy, yet they have stood in the way of a clean energy transition for decades. And, behind the scenes, they are still pulling the strings to create new fossil fuel projects.

A subsidiary of Duke Energy continues to push through a liquefied natural gas facility in North Carolina — which would, of course, be constructed in an area that is 87.9% Indigenous, predominantly Lumbee, and African American. We cannot let these companies secretly worsen the climate crisis while outwardly claiming they care about saving our planet. We need oversight of Duke and Dominion to hold them accountable.

This victory shows that the fossil fuel industry is in its last gasps, clinging  to anything to remain viable. Fossil fuel companies spend 10 times more on lobbying than environmental groups, yet they continue to lose. This is a testament to our movement’s ability to find strength from people, not limitless piles of campaign donations.

This industry is in terminal decline. While government officials try to throw lifeline after lifeline to bring it back, we know it’s useless. The voices of on-the-ground activists are far more powerful. This is the beginning of the end of fossil fuels.

The post The beginning of the end of fossil fuels appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

The Resolution notes that at no time during the planning process did Duke Energy nor Piedmont Natural Gas consult with the Lumbee Tribal Council about the possible cultural, social, or environmental impacts of the proposed RLNG. Irreparable harm has already been done to historical artifacts due to this lack of consultation or engagement with the Lumbee Tribe.

“Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas must stop the silencing of indigenous people and the mistreatment of their territories,” said Donna Chavis, senior fossil fuel campaigner for Friends of the Earth and an elder of the Lumbee Nation. “This resolution is a sign that the destructive behavior of fossil fuel companies will no longer be tolerated. We stand by the Lumbee Tribe as it continues to fight for it rights and privileges as a tribal nation.”

Communications contact: Aisha Dukule, (202) 893-3502, adukule@foe.org
Expert contact: Donna Chavis, dchavis@foe.org

The post Lumbee Tribal Council passes resolution opposing Robeson LNG Pipeline appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

Donna Chavis, senior fossil fuels campaigner at Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement in response:

The MVP Southgate and Atlantic Coast Pipeline campaigns have fought for years against dirty methane projects. The MVP Southgate project poses serious risks to our environment and will slow down North Carolina’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. We are elated that the Department of Environmental Quality has chosen to protect the state’s waterways and communities and ensure that North Carolina remains steadfast in its Clean Energy Plan.

Communications contact: Aisha Dukule, (202) 893-3502, adukule@foe.org
Expert contact: Donna Chavis, dchavis@foe.org

The post NC DEQ Denies MVP Southgate Permits appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

If built, the RLNG pipeline would be a one billion cubic foot peaking and storage facility located in Robeson County, North Carolina, in a geographic area that is 87.9% Indigenous (predominantly Lumbee) as well as African American.

“The Robeson LNG Pipeline Project stands on very shaky legal ground, and we intend to topple it,” said Donna Chavis, senior fossil fuel campaigner for Friends of the Earth and an elder of the Lumbee Nation “This facility is being built on a foundation of environmental racism during a climate emergency, when investments in fossil fuel infrastructure make no sense financially or ecologically. We are fighting to ensure that Duke Energy’s RLNG meets the same fate as their failed Atlantic Coast Pipeline.”

The courts of the United States have explicitly vacated Nationwide Permit 12, a controversial water-crossing permit program, as it relates to the construction of new oil and gas pipelines and have indicated that there is no realistic prospect of reversal. The groups’ letters state that PNG cannot lawfully proceed with dredge and fill activities for construction of the RLNG pipeline and that further authorization fulfilling all applicable environmental laws, including formal Endangered Species Act consultation, will be needed.

“Our communities are already worried about impacts on drinking water from hurricane flooding, industrial pollution, and animal agriculture,” said Jefferson Currie II, the Lumber Riverkeeper with Winyah Rivers Alliance and member of the Lumbee Tribe of NC. “Piedmont Natural Gas’ unnecessary Robeson LNG Project just dumps more pollution in our backyards and waterways. The wetlands in our watershed help decrease flooding from extreme weather events, but the Robeson LNG and four-mile pipeline spur make flooding worse by destroying both swamps and seasonal wetlands. There is no justice when the majority American Indian, African American, and Hispanic communities impacted by the project have been silenced and ignored throughout the process.”

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina issued a resolution against the Duke-PNG facility in June that stated, “The Agriculture/Natural Resources Committee and the 2020 Lumbee Tribal Council do hereby support the landowners in District 5 of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina in their efforts to preserve their land, their waterways and future generations from the impacts of the placement of the LNG facility.”

Contact: Erin Jensen, (202) 222-0722, ejensen@foe.org

The post Friends of the Earth and Lumber Riverkeeper call on Army Corps of Engineers to stop construction of Robeson LNG Pipeline appeared first on Friends of the Earth.

Donna Chavis, senior fossil fuel campaigner for Friends of the Earth and an elder of the Lumbee Nation, issued the following statement in response:

Native American, African American, and other affected communities along the route of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline have prevailed in their David versus Goliath struggle against Duke Energy and Dominion Energy. The ACP is now officially dead, and not a moment too soon.

Americans have spoken in the streets, and they have no tolerance for fossil fuel projects that poison the bodies, the land, the air, and the water of Indigenous, Black, and Brown communities.

While we celebrate this victory, we must also continue to fight against this toxic industry. Friends of the Earth will be turning its full force to stop a liquified natural gas (LNG) peaking and storage facility in North Carolina that Piedmont Natural Gas (PNG), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Duke Energy, is planning to develop in the same vicinity as the proposed ACP. Just like ACP, we will ensure that the PNG/Duke project does not see the light of day.

Fossil fuels have no future in North Carolina or the United States.

Background notes:

• Friends of the Earth and NC WARN in May released an analysis by a former energy executive outlining multiple factors that made the Atlantic Coast Pipeline a risky and unnecessary investment that could leave Dominion and Duke shareholders on the hook for billions of dollars in stranded costs.
• On June 18, 2020, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina issued a resolution against the Duke-PNG facility that stated, “The Agriculture/Natural Resources Committee and the 2020 Lumbee Tribal Council do hereby support the landowners in District 5 of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina in their efforts to preserve their land, their waterways and future generations from the impacts of the placement of the LNG facility.” 

Communications contact: Aisha Dukule, (202) 893-3502, adukule@foe.org
Expert contact: Donna Chavis, dchavis@foe.org

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