Activist groups in North Carolina are protesting the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline this month in advance of the project coming before the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality for consideration of whether or not to grant a water quality permit. And locally a group plans to protest and forego food in front of the DEQ office in Swannanoa on Thursday, Sept. 14. The group is opposed to the project because the pipeline will import natural gas extracted by fracking. The fasting is in solidarity with a fast protest in Raleigh led by Greg Yost.
Action in Swannanoa was originally planned for Tuesday, Sept. 12 to match up with other efforts across the state, but based on forecasts of fowl weather spinning off from Hurricane Irma, action has been rescheduled.
Press release from event organizers:
Within the next two weeks NC Department of Environmental Quality must decide whether to grant a 401 water quality permit to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. If DEQ decides the right thing, ACP will be dead in its tracks, at least for the time being.
We have a great opportunity right now to sway that decision.
You probably all know about the two week water only fast and witness which Greg Yost with others is doing at the NC DEQ headquarters in Raleigh. His message is: Fast to support DEQ: No Water Pollution Permit for the ACP.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 13-14, at various DEQ offices around the state people are going to gather for a similar witness and rally. Even if only a couple of people show up for an hour, word will get back to Raleigh and DEQ Secretary Regan, who must issue a decision on the 401 water quality permit for the ACP by September 19. Our presence at these offices could influence his and Governor Cooper’s decisions.
Here in Asheville [Thursday, Sept. 14] Community Roots and Smokey Mountain Eco Defense, along with a number of other individuals, are planning to go the DEQ regional office in Swannanoa. Some of us will go at 7:30 am and be there when DEQ employees arrive for work. We will hold a larger rally at 10 am. Please plan to come.
You don’t need to be fasting to make this effective. Your presence will be sufficient. We will have some signs, and you can make others which say something like: “Rally to support DEQ: No Water Pollution Permit for the ACP. ” or “We are Here to Support DEQ to do the right thing: No Water Pollution Permit for ACP.” Or simply “Water is Life.”
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