Our mission is to to investigate and act against threats to our watershed and hold elected officials accountable.
Category: Active
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Unicoi Clear
Summers-Taylor Materials Company, a large, well-connected, 80-year-old company in Northeast Tennessee, owns four parcels of land (50.01, .02, .03, and .04 at left) totaling 15 acres on Buffalo Mountain in the Town of Unicoi, all zoned Agricultural. Asphalt operations are grandfathered-in on one of those parcels (the 2-acre 50.03). The company has a State air permit to operate a large-capacity asphalt plant anywhere on that land that the local Town government will allow them to. Unicoi Clear is trying to push back against the local government’s efforts to let them expand beyond the 2-acre parcel.
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Stop The Moriah Energy Center
Citizens of Person County are fighting of Dominion Energy’s proposed liquified natural gas (LNG) storage facility in Rougemont, NC. The facility would initially store 25 million gallons of LNG in an otherwise rural, wooded area. The site sits in close proximity to homes and a number of different threatened aquatic species. We are asking the Person County Commissioners and the State of North Carolina to reject this proposal and move towards development that adheres to our county’s comprehensive land use plan and is in harmony with the character of our community.
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Pamplico Defense League
The Pamplico Defense League was formed to fight a pipeline known as the River Neck to
Kingsburg and also known as the Pamplico Pipeline. The proposed pipeline not only crosses several tributaries to the Pee Dee River, it also passes through heirs’ property belonging to the descendants of former slavers and other working-class residents.BREDL Executive Director, and Pamplico native, Kathy Andrews says, “Dominion Energy is targeting this area, filled with heirs property and working-class people because they think they can get away with it. Well, the community won’t tolerate environmental racism and the right to live in an environment free of toxic chemicals in the water and air pollution.”
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Pittsylvania County Preservation League
Pittsylvania County Preservation League was formed for the purpose of stopping the Southgate extension to the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The extension is planned to connect to the southern terminus of the MVP at Transco Village in Chatham, VA, then run parallel to the existing Transco pipeline for 26 miles in Pittsylvania County.
The Southgate’s path through an area dense with freshwater streams and rivers raises concern over impairment to those water bodies, including sedimentation, warming of streams through suppression of tree cover on streambanks for the duration of the commercial life of the pipeline, dynamic runoff from tree-free areas during rain events along the entire length of the pipeline, and the planned use of herbicides to control invasive plant species along the pipeline. Additionally, the sediment flowing downstream from the Southgate waterbody crossings will further damage the Dan River, which was already critically impaired following a coal ash spill in 2014.
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Coalition for a Clean Dan River Region
The Coalition for a Clean Dan River Region was formed in 2020 by a group of concerned citizens living near the First Piedmont Landfill in Ringold, VA. The landfill was first permitted to accept “sanitary” waste in the early 1970’s. Soon thereafter, the owners of the landfill attempted to secure a permit to accept hazard waste. At that time the citizens banded together to form the Dan River District Action Committee. After a lengthy fight, the landfill ultimately backed down and the group dissolved.
In the early 2000’s, the same landfill began to inch closer to nearby property lines. Residents around the perimeter began to notice foul odors, and trash began to be blown into their yards. As the landfill grows, the residents have air quality concerns, and also concerns about the diminishing quality of life in their once quiet community.
“We are here to stand up, make our voices heard, and secure a safe neighborhood for our children!”
– Julie Owens, CCDRR Director
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Concerned Citizens of Richmond County
Concerned Citizens of Richmond County was formed by a group of citizens who were fighting a proposed sand mining facility, as well as a wood pellet processing facility, each of which planned to locate in their community.
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Piney Grove League for Change
The Piney Grove League for Change is currently working on air quality and environmental justice issues relating to a fire that occurred at the Weaver Fertilizer Company in Winston-Salem on January 31, 2022. The Winston Weaver Fertilizer Company had more than 600 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored on site; most of which sat in wooden buildings which were not equipped with sprinklers. The Piney Grove area, and other adjacent communities, were blanketed with hazardous smoke for several days following the fire. Winston-Salem citizens are not only fighting for accountability, but also for regulatory changes that might prevent similar events from happening elsewhere.
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Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment (CHASE)
The Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment (CHASE) group was formed by long time civil rights activists and Lithonia residents in July 2010 when they were notified about a proposed biomass incinerator. The group’s first meetings were hosted by member Johnny Dougherty, now deceased. BREDL has provided the group with technical assistance throughout their campaign, and in 2014 CHASE became an official chapter of the organization.
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Snow Camp Environmental Defense League (SCEDL)
Founded in the late 1700’s by Pennsylvania Quakers, Snow Camp, NC is a rural, agricultural community in Alamance County with a rich history associated with opposition to slavery and home to Regulators whose opposition to the British led up to the Revolutionary War. Today’s Snow Camp has grown up around the original Quaker Village where many original structures from the 1700’s still stand. Our community has modernized over the years but still rely on groundwater as our soul source of drinking water. Community members value our clean water, clean air, gentle sounds of nature and our historic roots. Snow Camp Environmental Defense League (SCEDL) is dedicated to preserving the resources and promoting sustainable development consistent with our quality of life in Snow Camp.
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