20140957 Ver 2_Comments on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline_20170724

Strickland, Bev
From:Jim and Kathy Winslow <[e-mail]>
Sent:Monday, July 24, 2017 11:56 AM
To:SVC_DENR.publiccomments
Subject:ACP - Comments on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Attachments:ACP Statement July2017.docx
To the N.C. Division of Water Resources:

I am a long-time resident of eastern North Carolina, concerned about the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. I
believe that it is an expensive project that is not needed to serve the needs of the residents of North
Carolina. Proponents say that the pipeline will bring needed jobs to the region, but while unemployment is an
issue in this region, I fear the jobs will not offset damage that the pipeline can do to the region. I attended the
th
public hearing at Nash Community College on Thursday, July 20 and spoke briefly, limiting my comments to
allow time for others to speak. Attached is a copy of my full statement.

Thank you for the important work you do to protect the rivers, streams, and wetlands of North Carolina. Clean
water is critical to all of us.

Sincerely,

Katherine R. Winslow
300 East Battle Avenue
Tarboro, NC 27886
252-823-7924

1

Atlantic Coast Pipeline Public Hearing on Water Impacts
Thursday, July 20th, 6pm
Brown Auditorium, Nash Community College

My name is Kathy Winslow.

I have lived in Tarboro since 1979, but my husband grew up there, and his parents and grandparents and
great-grandparents and even some ancestors going back to the 1700s grew up in NC. They farmed, raised
cattle, sold mules, and taught their children to take care of the land. My children grew up hiking in the woods,
canoeing and fishing on the Tar River, on Fishing Creek, and Swift Creek, and finding whalebones and other
fossils and arrowheads – evidence of the rich history of the land.

I am here today not as a scientist, but as a resident deeply invested in the region, as someone who cares about
the future of eastern North Carolina.

The proposed 600-mile underground Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) is an interstate natural gas transmission
pipeline that proponents describe as an energy provider, job creator and economic game changer for the
region. The current proposed path of the pipeline crosses 343 bodies of water in North Carolina, including the
Neuse and Tar Rivers, Swift Creek, Fishing Creek.

Construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would dig up, cut through, or clear cut more acres of wetlands than
the state of North Carolina permits for the entire state in a year. The Pipeline will cross nearly 7 miles of
streams and destroy nearly 28 acres of forests and riverside buffer zones that help prevent runoff from
polluting those streams. The project threatens the habitat of many endangered and threatened birds,
reptiles, amphibians and bats – including the beautiful bald eagles we see fairly regularly in these areas.

Just constructing the pipeline poses significant risk of polluting the water, as documented by several speakers
today based on the experience of leaks and explosions at other pipeline projects in the US. I understand that
the project proposes using Horizontal Directional Drilling under the Roanoke River, Fishing Creek, Swift Creek,
Tar River, Contentnea Creek, Little River, Cape Fear River and a large number of wetlands. Horizontal
Directional Drilling poses a high risk of the uncontrolled release of drilling fluids, which means there is a high
risk of polluting the water at these drilling sites. These streams and wetlands crossed by the ACP also flow
into major river basins which are sources for the Pamlico-Albemarle Estuary, the second largest estuary in the
United States. The estuary supports not only NC’s fisheries but many mid-Atlantic coastal fisheries. Impacts to
any of these headwaters could negatively impact our fisheries and the economy of the state. These are only a
few examples of how the ACP project could damage the environment in eastern North Carolina. When you
consider that we are also subject to flooding from hurricanes and damage from tornadoes which could also
lead to pipe leaks and water pollution, it is clear that there is serious risk to our water.

All of us rely on having a good source of clean drinking water – we all drink water and cook with it and feed
our children from it. Many of us enjoy the recreational use of our rivers and streams. I believe it will be
impossible to construct the ACP without damaging the streams, rivers, wetlands, and groundwater in this
region. That means that there is risk to aquatic life, birds, mammals, and other creatures that are so critical
for our health and the future of eastern North Carolina. I know that some people support the pipeline
because they hope it will bring jobs to the region. I ask that you remember Flint, Michigan. If our water is
polluted, we will not have jobs or growth or a future for our children and grandchildren.

Therefore, I ask the Division of Water Resources NOT to grant a 401 permit for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Think about the residents along the route of the pipeline and our children and grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. Your decision will determine the future of this region.

Thank you,

Katherine R. Winslow
300 East Battle Avenue
Tarboro, NC 27886
252-823-7924