20070812 Ver 2_Perdue may intervene in river basin battle_20090304

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03/04/2009 07:07 PM
Perdue may intervene in river basin battle
By: Jennifer Moxley
ALBEMARLE, N.C. - The mayor of Albemarle is asking Gov. Bev Perdue to
intervene in a fight over water rights in Stanly County.
Mayor Elbert Whitley Jr. said the county's fight to take control of hydroelectric w
dams from Alcoa sends the wrong message to other industries - a message thatC?A
the state is against the free enterprise system. 11 For the past few years, Stanly County has led a fight to stop Alcoa, the county's
largest taxpayer, from generating power and gaining another federal license to
control the water along the Yadkin River Basin for the next 50 years.
''It's motivated by greed for the land involved and the amount of dollars involved," Whitley said
And he said this fight could set a serious precedent for other North Carolina businesses - like Duke Energy and
Progress Energy - that use the state's natural resources.
"A bigger fish to fry, so to speak, is the McGuire Nuclear Plant on the Catawba River Basin," Whitley said. "They
use millions of gallons a day for their cooling process, so what future action will this bring about for these
entities?"
Perdue is waiting on counsel to determine her legal options.
"It was hard for me to understand how a company would own the water rights to an entire river basin," Perdue
said.
By phone Wednesday, Stanly County Commissioner Chairman Tony Dennis said he "supports Gov. Beverly
Perdue on this issue 100 percent."
The county will continue its effort to recapture control of the water.
"We cannot afford to tamper with the free enterprise system, and that is where the state and Stanly County are
completely off track," Whitley said.
The relicensing process is in its final stages and the opportunities for anyone else to control the dams is
narrowing. But both sides are now pulling out all the stops.
As for the fight between the county and Alcoa, right now, both sides are waiting on a ruling from the Division of
Water Quality. It's one of the final stages in the relicensing process.
The division has until March 16 to make a final ruling.
As of January, Stanly County has spent $965,000 in this fight.
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Subject: Recent Media
From: "Ellis, H. Gene" <Gene. El lis@alcoa. com>
Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 15:46:11 -0500
To: <[e-mail]>, <[e-mail]>, "Beckee Garris"
<[e-mail]>, "Bob Warren" <[e-mail]>, "Carol Tingley"
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<lee. califf@alcoa. com>, "Doug Heron @ Maupin Taylor" <[e-mail]>, "Elam
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<[e-mail]>, "Stiffler, Mark" <[e-mail]>, "Wendy Bley (E-mail)"
<[e-mail]>, "Ellis, H. Gene" <[e-mail]>
Hello all:
I wanted to let you know about a Charlotte Observer article and a news
piece that aired on Channel 14 out of Charlotte. Both were prompted by
a letter written by City of Albemarle Mayor Whit Whitley. A copy of the
letter is attached and I certainly want to personally thank the Mayor
for his support.
<<Scan0001.pdf>>
Charlotte Observer:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/597/storY/575949.html
- ---- -. ...... ....
Channel 14:
http://newsl4.com/content/top erdue-may-intervene-in-riv
er-basin-battle/Default.aspx
Also, don't forget to access our blog to read more:
http://yadkinproject.blo spot.com/2009/03/if-stanly-county-gets-what-it-
wants.html
If the Mayor's leadership has inspired you, I can help you channel your
newly found energy. Give me a call or contact me by e-mail for more.
Gene
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Recent Media
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