One county commissioner publicly stated his concern about coal ash during the board’s meeting June 7.
Cary Rodgers, a member of the environmental groups Pee Dee WALL (Water, Air, Land and Lives) and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, addressed the commissioners to say that he felt he has been accused of stirring up trouble for protesting coal ash.
Rodgers is one of several environmentalists who have gone to the commissioners on multiple occasions to ask that the county ban the Polkton landfill from taking in coal ash, which Pee Dee WALL and the environmental league have stated would be harmful to Anson County residents.
In his address to the board, Rodgers, who is also the pastor of Pathway to Peace Ministries, said his intent is to be an asset to the county rather than cause problems through his protests.
“I was accused of trying to find things as negative in the community,” Rodgers said. “That’s not the reason why I came here. We can all be friends. The reality is, we all see each other in the Walmart, the Food Lion, the things like that. I’m not here to purposefully cause enemies.
“When I came to this county, I used to work in Charlotte for years as a social worker, then I changed careers to the computer industry for a little bit. Then God called me to ministry. I remember going through this county many times on my way from Charlotte to my wife’s hometown, and I remember the thought, ‘You know, somebody needs to come here to evangelize.’ I never thought it would be me years later. So we just came on a mission to give positivity, not cause negativity.”
Rodgers said Pathway to Peace offers free camps for children, hands out Bibles and helps offer health classes, among other services to the county.
He said he intends to stay in the county, but feels the need to help protect it from environmental hazards.
“We just want to make sure we don’t have coal ash here,” Rodgers said. “That’s it. So I just want to set the record straight that I’m here to help, not take away.”
He asked the board to make sure the citizens advisory board is balanced when the commissioners restructure it. The advisory board will meet to discuss environmental concerns related to the landfill.
Commissioner Jim Sims responded to Rodgers’ address by explaining his own concerns with coal ash.
“Coal ash is still up in the air about how dangerous it is, but most of the physicians in the United States believe that it’s very dangerous,” Sims said. He listed several chemicals, such as lead and arsenic, that he said coal ash contains that make it a health hazard, especially if exposed to water sources.
“We’ve got the Pee Dee River, we’ve got Brown Creek right beside the landfill, and we have the Triasic Basin right beneath Anson County, which is as big as Lake Erie almost,” he said. “If coal ash is not dangerous, then why do people want to put it in rural places and go to the trouble of putting walls around it and covers over it and all kinds of things to keep it from seeping out? And you can bet your bottom dollar that our grandchildren, those protections around that coal ash, at some point, will leak.”
The county commissioners had a draft of a letter written to David Fountain, the president of Duke Energy in North Carolina, that listed the board’s concerns with the possibility of coal ash coming to Anson County, but the letter was not passed at the meeting. It was initially listed under the administrative matters section of the agenda for the open meeting but moved to closed session when the commissioners decided to consult with board attorney Scott Forbes about the letter.
Duke listed the Polkton landfill as a backup site for coal ash storage if two other sites fail. The draft of the letter acknowledges that Anson was listed as a backup site but still lists concerns.
“On behalf of our entire Board of Commissioners, we want you to know that Anson County would prefer to not store any coal ash in our county,” the draft said. “We want to make you aware of the concerns of our board concerning Duke Energy’s consideration of the Anson County landfill as an alternate site for storing coal ash.”
If Duke does move coal ash to the landfill, the letter asked that Duke keep safety a priority.
“We also want you to know that if you have to store coal ash in Anson County, we expect that Duke Energy will spare no expense when it comes to protecting the health and safety of our citizens, the quality of our water and other natural resources, and the quality of life in Anson County and throughout this region,” the draft said. “In addition, we want to make it clear that if you bring coal ash to Anson County, and if there is an accident related to the coal ash that affects the quality of our water or other natural resources, we will hold Duke Energy (and all other responsible parties) accountable to fix the problem.”
The commissioners discussed the letter in a closed session held after the open meeting.
Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough.