The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality approved the Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification for the proposed T-15 Reliability Project. The project is a proposed 45-mile long natural gas transmission pipeline that would run from Eden, North Carolina to Roxboro, North Carolina, crossing through Person, Caswell, and Rockingham counties.
The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR)’s decision came after the proposal underwent “a comprehensive review process that included several opportunities for public engagement.”
“The 401 water quality certification assesses whether the proposal meets state water quality requirements, including whether the project has avoided or minimized impacts to surface waters or wetlands, among other considerations.”
The pipeline, proposed by Public Services Company of North Carolina (PSNC), which is doing business in North Carolina as Enbridge Gas North Carolina, would connect the MVP Southgate Pipeline to Duke Energy’s two proposed natural gas plants at Hyco Lake owned by Duke in Person County.
Opponents of the pipeline said “natural gas, which is predominantly methane, is a potent greenhouse gas that will make the already drastic impacts of climate change even worse for North Carolinians.”
“The T15 pipeline will lock North Carolina into decades of extracting, transporting, and burning natural gas while exposing working families to massively volatile fuel prices,” Olive Burress, Sierra Club North Carolina organizer, said.
The hearing officer’s report can be viewed here.
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