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Comment online to tell NC Dept. of Environmental Quality: No T-15 Pipeline!

Use this info to fill out the comment form, at this link! Talking points below.

ID number: 20250069

Version: 1

Name of project: EGNC T-015 Reliability Project

TALKING POINTS:

Ask NC DEQ to deny this permit to the T-15 pipeline. This is safest for our water, electric bills, economy, & climate.

• This version of the T-15 pipeline may be larger than is necessary, and should be denied. Only one of the gas-powered Duke powerplants it would supply is approved. It is still unknown whether a second one will be approved or is even necessary. 
  • State employees who represent the interests of Duke & Piedmont customers testified that a second gas plant fed by T-15 is not the least cost option for customers, and is potentially not eligible to be included in rates while being built as a baseload plant, due to EPA regulations.

However, if they do not deny it, ask NC DEQ to protect water by doing the following:

Streams, Wetlands, and Open Waters

• This 45-mile project would cross streams, wetlands or open waters in at least 170 locations along its route.
  • Each site has unique characteristics. The permit should require detailed plans and inspections to prevent erosion and sedimentation into the waters that would violate the state’s turbidity standard.
  • Without these plans and inspections, the permit would NOT protect the state’s water quality.
• The pipeline, compressor station, and power plants would leak methane — making climate change worse. This makes natural disasters, like Hurricane Helene, more likely. It can worsen flooding, droughts, and destroy public water utility infrastructure.

Drinking Water

• Many of the over 200 properties that would be impacted by the T-15 pipeline construction and operation are served by private drinking water wells.
• For private wells, Enbridge should be required to:
  • Locate all wells within 250 feet of the pipeline or worksites.
  • Test these wells for bacteria, inorganics & fuel related chemicals before & after construction.
  •  If water quality or quantity is decreased after construction, the developer must be responsible for providing safe replacement water
• Person County’s well water near the existing coal plant has already been contaminated. There must be strong rules in place to prevent this new set of wells from contamination.
• For public water supplies, Enbridge should be required to:
  • Identify any public water supply wells within 250 feet of the T-15 pipeline corridor or construction workspaces.
  • Test the public water supply wells before and after construction at the expense of the project developer at a certified drinking water lab for all federal drinking water standards. If any loss of source water quantity or quality is found, the project developer is responsible for providing a safe replacement water supply

Economic issues

• The T-15 pipeline is a financial risk to Duke customers. Rate payers will cover the cost of building it, plus the profits to Enbridge. In the future, non-emitting electric generation renewable sources will be required to meet climate goals. This could leave T15 a costly, abandoned asset.
  • Duke Energy’s plan to use hydrogen for this pipeline and powerplants is not a serious business plan. The technology and supply for hydrogen at this scale for energy does not exist, and it is a huge gamble to bet on it existing in the future.
• This pipeline will not fit within the corridor for the existing smaller pipeline that runs along most of the pipeline route. Enbridge is seeking larger easements and additional workspace. This has raised concerns among impacted landowners in all three counties it would cross, and its potential harm to the local economy.