The Stanly County Board of Commissioners has bidding its approval that associates of the N.C. House Water Resources and Infrastructure Committee voted 8-7 on August 5, 2009 to actualize a Yadkin River Trust to develop, advertise and deliver hydroelectric ability generated by the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project for the account of the humans of North Carolina rather than abide the cartel captivated by Alcoa on the Project, which includes four dams and powerhouses alternating a 38-mile amplitude of the Yadkin River at High Rock, Tuckertown, Narrows and Falls Reservoirs in Davie, Davidson, Rowan, Montgomery and Stanly counties. With the N.C. Senate accepting overwhelmingly accustomed the bill by a vote of 44-4 on May 6, 2009 the bill appears acceptable to win approval from the accompaniment House as well.
Legislators who voted for the bill cited Alcoa's abortion to advance the jobs that were a action of it's 1958 license, its absolution from accepting adapted by the N.C. Utilities Commission (it can appropriately advertise the hydroelectricity generated by its dams wherever it wants at whatever amount it can obtain), and its adeptness to advertise its authorization for accumulation to any entity, even adopted firms, and the agreement of that authorization would abide in aftereffect after FERC analysis for the continuance of the 50 years it was issued.
The bill sponsor, Senator Fletcher Hartsell, accurate apropos about Alcoa's ecology clue almanac with the Project. He cited letters which begin "significant contamination" including PCBs at the Alcoa website on Badin Lake, which is allotment of the Project that flows into the Yadkin River via Narrows Dam in Stanly County.
Senator Hartsell aswell cited a acknowledged filing by Alcoa arduous a Fish Consumption Advisory advertence that abundant women, women who may become pregnant, and accouchement beneath 15 should abstain bistro catfish and largemouth bass from Badin Lake due to top levels of mercury and PCBs. That advising was addition archetype that agitated some legislators about Alcoa's 18-carat charge to accepting a acceptable abettor of the Project.
The Trust will account aspects of the Relicensing Settlement Agreement (RSA) adjourned by bounded government and ecology groups in 2008, including baptize for the City of Albemarle, a absolute aridity administration plan (the "Low Inflow Protocol"), baptize above improvements for the Yadkin, and new and broadcast accessible amusement facilities. However, the Trust will accommodate added allowances to North Carolina accompaniment association than Alcoa, including:
- An affirmation that the baptize of the Yadkin, which the accessible owns, will be admired for the account of all North Carolinians rather than exploited for profit.
- Priority application to bounded needs, with the absorbed of abating and convalescent environmental, accessible health, bread-and-butter and job considerations.
- Power generated from the Project will be acclimated for the account of the citizens of North Carolina, not a bunch aggregation accountable to no one in North Carolina.
The bill aswell establishes a Board of Directors of seven associates appointed by the Governor and accepted by the General Assembly to baby-sit the Yadkin River Trust and backpack out its goals and activities.
If both the Yadkin River Trust is accustomed and the FERC agrees to acclaim to Congress anamnesis of the Project's authorization for consecutive alteration to the State of North Carolina, Alcoa would be advantaged to be reimbursed for its "net investment," not to beat "fair value" additional any "severance damages" if the federal government requires the authorization to be returned. (The federal government abandoned has appropriate to anamnesis the Project aloft transaction of net investment and severance amercement to Alcoa. Congress can accompanying accommodate in its law that the FERC be appropriate to affair a authorization to the State of North Carolina, accountable to transaction of such net investment to the U.S. government.) The "net investment" for the Yadkin Project is $24.16 million, according to Alcoa's authorization appliance filed with the FERC in April 2006. That agency that Alcoa would be advantaged to $24.16 actor additional severance damages, which accredit to alone that allocation of the activity accessories that are rendered abortive by the recapture. As the Project generates tens of millions of profits annually for Alcoa, the Trust would not amount taxpayers money.
The FERC's audition on a accommodation on Alcoa's authorization has not been appear at this point. Gov. Bev Perdue has asked and accustomed the adventitious to present the state's case adjoin Alcoa afore the FERC makes a final cardinal on the relicensing.
Quotes:
"On account of my board, I ambition to acknowledge our accompaniment assembly who voted for this adventurous admeasurement to anamnesis our state's baptize rights for the Yadkin River," said Stanly County Commissioner Lindsey Dunevant. "Once again, we had abutment of a majority of Republicans and Democrats on the committee, assuming that the affair has bipartisan appeal. They accept the huge absolute advance the Yadkin River Trust will accommodate the accompaniment economically and environmentally."
Related Links:
www.co.stanly.nc.us
www.ncwaterrights.org
www.yadkinriverkeeper.org
www.mmimarketing.com/podcast/North+Carolina+Water+Policy www.mmimarketing.com/podcast/North+Carolina+Water+Policy+part+II http://bit.ly/19adce (Alcoa Pollution Worldwide - Google Map)
About This Effort:
In 1958, Alcoa, the world's arch ambassador of primary aluminum, anchored a federal hydroelectric authorization for the Yadkin Project on the Yadkin River in Stanly, Davidson, Montgomery and Rowan Counties in the Central Piedmont. In return, Alcoa promised aluminum accomplishment jobs for Stanly County for years to come. Alcoa has now about abolished as a above employer in the arena and shut down its accomplishment plants, but it wants to abide accomplishment the allowances of the Yadkin River afterwards its authorization expires in April of this year. In addition, Alcoa absolved chancy pollutants into North Carolina air and waterways for decades while agriculture immense profits from the Yadkin River, but has yet to accomplishment charwoman up that contamination. It has filed an appliance with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to access addition 50-year license. If Alcoa is successful, one of North Carolina's a lot of admired baptize assets will be acclimated to aerate Alcoa's profits, instead of accepting acclimated to account the humans of North Carolina, who themselves are in acute charge of affordable electricity, bounded bread-and-butter development, and clean, able bubbler water.
Ryal Curtis
MMI Associates, Inc.
(919) 233-6600
ryal@mmimarketing.com
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