Troy Williams: Is environmental racism at play in Fayetteville subdivision?
Most of Fayetteville is quietly transitioning into autumn, with tree leaves changing color and colder temperatures invading our ranks.
Meanwhile, the Foxfire subdivision, located directly in front of Westover High and Middle Schools off Bonanza Drive, is burdened with noise, dust and increased traffic at a natural gas pressure and flow regulator new construction site at the corner of Yadkin and Brookfield roads. Piedmont Natural Gas and its parent company Duke Energy are installing the system.
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Foxfire is one of Fayetteville's oldest neighborhoods, primarily African American and full of military veterans. The new construction site caught homeowners by surprise: Several homes are less than 100 yards away, and one is within a couple of feet. Community residents say they are concerned about the safety and describe the construction as an eyesore.
Piedmont Natural Gas was allowed to build on the property without informing the Foxfire residents or the city because of the utility companies' right-of-way. Most people want the right to have the quiet enjoyment of their homes, which includes limits on excessive noise from nearby construction. Piedmont Natural Gas did not have a legal requirement to inform residents of its intentions, but a courtesy notice to them would have softened the blow and built a level of much-needed trust.
Would a predominately middle-class white neighborhood have been treated the same? Environmental watchdogs say these kinds of tactics by utility companies have been historically reserved for communities of color. In fact, minority communities continue to bear the burden of most acts of environmental racism.
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Environmental racism, a race-dependent quality of environmental conditions in practice and policy, was coined in 1982 by Rev. Benjamin Chavis, previous executive director of the United Church of Christ (UCC) Commission for Racial Justice. Chavis first used the term describing a hazardous waste site, a PCB landfill near African Americans in Warren County.
Foxfire has been put in a tough spot. They lack the economic status and political means to oppose a large corporation like Piedmont Natural Gas. Foxfire has a community watch but does not have a Homeowners Association (HOA). Residents say they continue to meet with corporate executives, but these sessions have not impeded the work at the construction site.
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What happens to our friends in Foxfire should cause us to pause and be concerned. Environmental racism is a type of systemic racism wherein policies and practices place industrial facilities in low-income communities of color. The causes are multifaceted, including intentional neglect, the alleged lack of institutional power, and the low land values of people of color.
How do we move forward? We need businesses in our community. They play an essential role in providing goods and services that improve citizens' lives, but we cannot lose sight of people as the most critical stakeholders. Companies should be committed to respecting human rights and livelihoods.
We should incorporate a justice lens in our planning. If a natural gas pressure and flow regulator isn't acceptable for all of Fayetteville's subdivisions, we should oppose the same in Foxfire.
Troy Williams is a member of The Fayetteville Observer Community Advisory Board. He is a legal analyst and criminal defense investigator. He can be reached at talk2troywilliams@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Troy Williams: Is environmental racism at play in Fayetteville subdivision?
