Local conservation organization MountainTrue has announced plans to hold a “Protect Our Land” community picnic on October 18 at the Historic Henderson County Courthouse in protest of Duke Energy’s Western Carolinas Modernization project, according to the non-profit organization.
The picnic is the latest in a series of protests and public demonstrations against Duke Energy’s proposals for a new gas-based power plant at the current Asheville plant location in Fletcher and a 45 mile transmission line installation to connect the plant to a substation in Campobello, S.C.
Xpress detailed Duke’s plans and highlighted residents’ concerns in a September 18 online post, “High tension wires: Duke Energy and Henderson County residents at odds over proposed transmission lines.”
MountainTrue describes the Oct. 18 event as a “family-friendly event to enjoy food, fun and taking action challenging Duke Energy’s plans to build a super-sized gas plant and massive transmission lines through Western North Carolina.”
The organizers call for WNC residents to “stand in unity” against the Modernization project’s current proposals: “Even if powerlines won’t run through your property or community, we’ll all pay for this $1.1 billion plan through our utility rates,” says the Carolina Land Coalition, a partner organization of MountainTrue, on its website.
The picnic will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.. and is free for all to attend. Those interested in learning more about the concerns surrounding Duke Energy’s Western Carolina Modernization Project, or those interested in volunteering or donating to the Oct 18 picnic are encouraged to visit carolinalandcoalition.org for more details.
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