Sarah Gianni calls it a miracle: the 10 acre homestead she shares with her husband and kids in rural Chatham county.
“He worked 12 hour days, and scrapped to get us this piece of land,” said Gianni.
But lately, that miracle has found itself in harm’s way. In April, Gianni says she received a letter from Enbridge Gas, letting her know surveyors needed to access her property for a proposed natural gas pipeline. If built, it would carve what Gianni calls a “scar” across her land “We don’t want it near us,” she said. “We don’t need it.”
Gianni says she considered suing, but didn’t have the money. Instead, she joined hundreds of people in a packed Pittsboro auditorium Wednesday night, asking the Chatham County Board of Commissioners to do something about the pipeline.
According to Enbridge, the pipeline would run from US64 in Siler City to US1 in Lee County. The company has argued the project is necessary to support the fast-growing area.
Commissioners called the meeting specifically to hear the community’s concerns. In attendance were farmers whose land has been passed down since the Revolutionary War, lawyers who handle eminent domain cases, and retired scientists. Of the nearly 60 people who spoke, all opposed the pipeline.
“I fear that we are going to see law-abiding citizens die,” said John Alderman, who tried to take Enbridge to court to keep surveyors off his land, before ultimately settling.
Residents asked the commissioners for increased scrutiny of the pipeline – including for the county to require a special use permit.
WRAL asked Chatham County whether, in the board’s view, a permit is legally possible, and whether board members would support a permit if so. A spokesperson confirmed she’s working on a reply.
At the start of the meeting, Board Chair Amanda Robertson did say “authority over the approval process…is limited.”
Residents and environmental groups have also raised concerns about potential contamination of rivers the pipeline would cross, including the Haw River.
In a statement earlier in the day to WRAL, an Enbridge spokesperson wrote that, while the route is still being finalized, the company is considering drilling under some of the larger rivers on the route, like the Haw, to minimize impact.
That spokesperson wrote in part “We respect that this project raises questions and concerns in the community and among leaders, and we share their interest in protecting natural resources and minimizing impacts. We are committed to engaging with landowners, the community and local leaders to answer questions and provide information.”