Opposition to the MVP Southgate pipeline is growing

Submitted by scharrison on

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And that includes NC DEQ, which is refreshing:

“At this time the department remains unconvinced that the project satisfies the criteria for the commission to deem it in the public interest, and whether it is essential to ensure future growth and prosperity for North Carolinians,” Sheila Holman, assistant secretary for the environment at the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, wrote to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Without demonstrated demand, the pipeline would just give Dominion Energy, formerly PSNC, an exclusive excess capacity, the DEQ writes. The proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate would be a 72-mile line connecting to the existing MVP in Pittsylvania County, Va., to carry Marcellus Shale gas to the distribution system south of Graham.

This project hasn't received a fraction of the statewide news coverage of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, but here in Alamance County, it's stirred up a lot of controversy. The company has already sued 5 (if not more) landowners who refused to allow surveyors onto their property, and now the City of Burlington is rolling up its sleeves to fight due to the threat to a major drinking water reservoir:

Saturday News: Slap on the wrist

Submitted by BlueNC on

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ROBIN HAYES WILL PLEAD GUILTY TO LYING TO THE FBI: According to his agreement with prosecutors, Hayes will plead guilty to a single count of lying to the FBI. In a court document, he acknowledged that in August 2018 he “falsely stated to federal agents . . . that he had never spoken” with Causey “about personnel or personnel problems at the . . . Department of Insurance or about Greg Lindberg or John Gray.” Prosecutors said while the maximum sentence for the offense is five years, Hayes could be sentenced to up to six months, or serve no time at all under sentencing guidelines. The plea deal says prosecutors “recommend a sentence at the low end of the . . . range.” Hayes could not be reached. His attorney, Kearns Davis, would not comment.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article235540347.html

Drought or Deluge: Climate Change abhors moderation

Submitted by scharrison on

Over half of NC's counties are drying up as I type:

Klaus Albertin is chairman of the N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council . He said in a news release issued by the Department of Environmental Quality on Thursday that water supplies, agriculture, fire threat and streamflows statewide are beginning to reflect the lack of precipitation.

Forty-five counties in the western and central parts of the state are in moderate drought stage, the least detrimental of four categories used in federal drought maps. Twenty-two counties are experiencing abnormally dry conditions, which means a drought could emerge without adequate rainfall. Albertin says while Hurricane Dorian left heavy rainfall along the coast, almost none fell west of Interstate 95. He says conditions could worsen before they improve.

As I was trying to go to sleep last night, I tried to remember the last time it had rained where I live. It's been long enough that I couldn't remember not just the exact date, but how many weeks it's been. That is not good. For several reasons, but the fact we're still in the hurricane season window is a big one. When the ground gets baked dry, rainfall doesn't infiltrate the soil very well, or quickly enough. So it runs off, and flash flooding is much more likely. And as our Western counties continue to dry out, wildfires can be expected. Plainly put, we need some rain, folks. Start dancing.

Friday News: One more time...

Submitted by BlueNC on

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LAWSUIT FILED OVER NC'S GERRYMANDERED CONGRESSIONAL MAPS: The National Redistricting Foundation is backing a lawsuit filed by individuals in each of the state's 13 congressional districts, alleging that the General Assembly illegally drew the district lines in 2016 to favor Republican candidates. A similar argument went before the U.S. Supreme Court in March, but the high court ruled 5-4 in June that partisan gerrymandering is "beyond the reach of the federal courts." But in state court, several plaintiffs successfully challenged legislative districts drawn in 2017 on the argument that partisan gerrymandering violates North Carolina's constitution. A three-judge panel recently ordered lawmakers to redraw the maps without considering voting patterns of individual precincts.
https://www.wral.com/eric-holder-affiliated-group-challenging-nc-congressional-district-map/18660222/

Franklin Graham, Impeachment, and the Ukraine Connection

Submitted by teddyrooseveltp... on

On Facebook, Franklin Graham is standing by his guy Trump, promoting the hell out of Donnie's appearance at the "religious freedom" conference earlier in the week and only barely mentioning "his enemies calling for impeachment".

Bigots R Us: Dan forest to join American Renewal Project crazies

Submitted by scharrison on

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When hate is the only language you speak:

A national Islamic group is calling on North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest to cancel his appearance next week at a Charlotte event the group says features “Islamophobic” speakers. Forest, a Republican, is scheduled to appear at the event sponsored by the American Renewal Project on Oct. 3 and 4. The event is billed as “a complimentary private gathering of NC church and ministry leaders.”

In addition to Forest, speakers include William Federer and E.W. Jackson. The Southern Poverty Law Center calls Federer an “anti-Muslim activist.” Last year The Hill newspaper said Jackson spoke about the arrival of new Muslim members of Congress. “The floor of Congress is now going to look like an Islamic republic,” he said. “We are a Judeo-Christian country.”

This is just one (of countless) reasons why Dan Forest is not fit to be Governor of the State of North Carolina. These guys aren't just run-of-the-mill bigots; they're way out on the extreme fringe, evoking fear of Sharia law and whatever else they can think of to go after folks in Muslim communities. (Author's note: The Q'uran incorporates both Hebrew and Christian tenets into its fabric--Ibrahim is Abraham.) But while Federer is almost exclusively anti-Muslim, E.W. Jackson is fiercely anti-LGBTQ, and has claimed Pete Buttigieg wants to turn America into a "Homocracy," whatever the hell that means:

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