Pipeline objections aired at community meeting

On Tuesday, July 23, opponents of a proposal to extend a methane pipeline through Kernersville held a community meeting to discuss their concerns about the dangers and threats of the proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project by Williams Cos.

The event was organized by 7 Directions of Service, Appalachian Voices and the League of Conservation Voters. Almost 40 Kernersville community members attended.

The proposed pipeline through the Kernersville area aims to “provide reliable natural gas deliveries” to Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, according to the company’s website.

One Kernersville resident at the meeting said, “I received a postcard from 7 Directions of Service in the mail, so my neighbor and I decided to go to city hall to investigate. I found out our area is in a ‘blast zone,’ ... and that’s when I got interested in getting involved.”

Those who attended the event learned about the safety hazards and concerns of methane gas pipelines, such as leaks, explosions and how to protect property rights.

One of the biggest concerns during the meeting was the information regarding what is called a blast zone or evacuation zone, the distance within which there would be reasonable risk of injury or death if a malfunction were to occur.

A 7 Directions of Service in a press release distributed after the meeting said, “The company has not yet provided information on the impact radius if an explosion were to occur, and has repeatedly dismissed community concerns related to the blast zone.”

Another concern that was discussed was the possibility of methane leaks. Burning methane releases carbon monoxide and other toxic air pollutants that can increase the risk of respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological diseases, and methane explosions and fires, however infrequent, can be catastrophic.

The Southeast Supply Enhancement Project is part of the expansion of the 10,000-mile Transco pipeline that transports methane gas from Texas through the Southeast all the way to New York City, said Juhi Modi, the North Carolina field coordinator for Appalachian Voices. “This proposed expansion is supposed to pump 1.6 billion cubic feet of methane gas per day through a 42-inch-diameter pipeline,” she said, the equivalent of moving more than 18,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools through something the size of a hula hoop all in one day.

The expansion has been proposed in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. An estimated 28 miles of new pipeline would come to North Carolina.

The project is currently in the developmental stage. So far, outreach has been made to some elected officials in the area and pre-filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The official application for the proposed pipeline has yet to be submitted, but opponents think that could take place as early as September.

If the pipeline were to be approved, the target construction start date would be spring of 2025, and the target in service date would be at the end of 2027, Modi said.

“There is a lot that we can do to delay the timeline, and the more that the timeline is delayed, the more money it costs them, the more resources it costs them, and whatever it is that we can do to delay, even if it is not ultimately stopping the project, is definitely impactful,” Modi said.

To learn more about the Transco SSEP or to see where the proposed pipeline will go through the Kernersville community, go to nossep.org.