December 17, 2009

Open letter to Governor Perdue in Protest 

of Flawed Cliffside Permit Review Process

Dear Governor Perdue:

The North Carolina Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has once again abandoned its

responsibility to protect public health and the environment in favor of catering to 

the industrial interests it is supposed to be regulating.  It’s time to overhaul this 

corrupted agency while investigating and prosecuting those who have allowed 

themselves to be inappropriately influenced.

In October of this year, 2009, DAQ announced its plans to issue the final permit 

for Duke Energy’s Cliffside coal-burning power plant in Rutherford County .  

In response, a host of prominent environmental and community-based organizations,

including the Canary Coalition, co-signed a letter requesting DAQ to hold a public

hearing in Charlotte on the proposed permit. 

The Charlotte metropolitan area includes a population of more than a million people 

who are exposed to the toxic air pollution resulting from the operation of the Cliffside 

power plant.  This venue would give DAQ the input of a diversified and representative 

portion of North Carolina ’s population. A public hearing in Charlotte would also give 

fair access to major newspapers, radio and television stations. 

Instead, DAQ once again decided to hold the only public hearing on the Cliffside

Title V final permit in one of the most remote and inaccessible areas of the state,

on a work day evening, making it nearly impossible for concerned citizens in the

most populated areas to travel and attend.  That hearing will be Thursday, January 14,

2010, between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm at Chase High School located at 1603 Chase

High Road in Forest City , NC . This is perhaps the only part of the state in which a

significant portion of the population is employed by Duke Energy and local politics

make it difficult or dangerous for citizens to speak in opposition to building the new

polluting coal plant.  (View DAQ notice)

Earlier this year and in 2008 DAQ held preliminary hearings in Forest City , on

Cliffside’s permit, over the protests of the environmental community.  A circus

atmosphere ensued that negated any meaningful testimony and drowned out the

voices of local citizens opposing the power plant, as Duke Energy paraded in

hundreds of its employees and pocketed local public officials who want to see more

coal burned in exchange for the empty promise of more jobs in their community.

They seemed unaware or unmoved by the fact that after the plant is completed and all the out-of-state construction workers leave, fewer than 30 permanent jobs will remain in exchange for some of the worst air quality in the country for every child attending their public schools (according to the study reported last year in USA Today). 

At the hearings in Forest
 City

 the rules of testimony were ignored by DAQ officials as

an atmosphere of intimidation was allowed to prevail with no interference from the

authorities. Several testifying Cliffside opponents were shouted down by the mob when

their testimony went over the arbitrarily shortened 2-minute limit by a few seconds.

In violation of hearing rules Duke proponents called for a poll of hands to display the

public’s “overwhelming support” for the project.  In violation of hearing rules Cliffside

proponents were standing in the aisles and in the back of the room.

It is shameful that DAQ would plan to hold yet another public hearing under this set of circumstances.  Those responsible for this decision should be held accountable and dismissed from their jobs.

It’s apparent that DAQ is being controlled by the political influence of Duke Energy and other industrial special interests in our state.  This inappropriate and corrupt political influence has to stop now.  Now more than ever North Carolina needs strong state enforcements agencies that safeguard public health and the environment.  Air pollution, climate change, stressed fresh water supplies, toxic waste ash piles - all threaten our health and well-being, our economy and the environment upon which our future depends.  Right now, no one but the fox is guarding our henhouse.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Avram Friedman

Executive Director of the Canary Coalition