Berger opposes Alcoa renewal
Alcoa, the big aluminum company, is in the process of repermitting its power generating station on the Yadkin River. Its permit is due to expire this year and the company has applied to the FERC to renew.
Sen. Phil Berger, the Republican leader in the state Senate, says the state should oppose the renewal based on drought concerns. He copied us scruffy media types on a letter he sent to Gov. Mike Easley:
Dear Governor Easley,I understand that Alcoa, Inc. has filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for renewal of a license to generate electricity at facilities on the Yadkin River in Stanly County. If FERC approves the request, Alcoa’s electric power generation will allow it to divert water from the Yadkin River for its profit while providing no benefit to the people of North Carolina. Renewal will give Alcoa this control over North Carolina’s natural resource for a period of 50 years.
In 1958, when its current license was issued, Alcoa provided a number of jobs to North Carolina’s citizens; sadly, this is no longer the case. In 2002, Alcoa laid off hundreds of North Carolina workers and no longer provides employment for a substantial number of our people. If Alcoa is granted a new license, North Carolina’s precious and valuable water resources will be utilized for profits of an out-of-state corporation instead of being used for the people of North Carolina.
You have emphasized the need to preserve and protect North Carolina’s water resources, especially during the recent drought conditions; this is an opportunity for you to further those efforts in a tangible way. I hope you will take action to protect North Carolina’s citizens and their water resources by opposing Alcoa’s FERC application.
Sincerely,
Philip E. Berger
Comments (1)
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I don't understand why Sen. Berger is against giving Alcoa a new license. Considering that North Carolina passed a landmark bill last year promoting renewable energy, you'd think Sen. Berger and others would be supportive of the clean, renewable energy that Alcoa generates along the Yadkin River.
To make this an issue about protecting North Carolina's water resources, especially during drought conditions, doesn't make sense either. Alcoa's hydropower generators don't remove any water from the Yadkin River and the company has done an excellent job managing the water supply during the prolonged drought. The reservoirs have been near full throughout the drought and those who rely on Alcoa's reservoirs for drinking water have not faced any shortages.
The Alcoa license has the support of state agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as local governments, homeowners, recreational users and environmental interests groups. The new license will improve water quality along the Yadkin, provide new swimming areas, fishing piers and camp sites and preserve thousands of acres for recreation, game lands and conservation.
Posted on March 21, 2008 3:28 PM