SPRING HOPE, N.C. -- North Carolinians and the Sierra Club are organizing a canoe and kayak trip down the Tar River to show residents and media the ways in which Duke Energy’s proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline would negatively affect the state’s waterways. The pipeline would carry fracked gas from West Virginia through eight North Carolina Counties, crossing over 560 creeks, rivers, and wetlands before stopping in Robeson County. Similar pipelines, like the Rover in Ohio, Michigan, and West Virginia, have caused one disaster after another, including drilling fluid spills and water violations. The paddlers will form a flotilla less than 1,000 feet from the point survey marks show the pipeline will cross the river and participants will raise a banner, red signs and their paddles to take a photo.
Following the event, participants will gather at Chico’s Restaurant in Rocky Mount to hear from speakers including Tar-Pamlico Riverkeeper Heather Deck and Marvin Winstead, a local farmer fighting Duke Energy’s expected seizure of his property.
What: Kayak and canoe flotilla showing how the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline endangers the Tar River and other North Carolina waterways.
When: Saturday, August 5th. 9:00 a.m. put-in, expect to arrive at the pipeline crossing point shortly after 9:00a.m. and expected to arrive at Chico’s Mexican Restaurant at 12:30p.m.
Where: Put-in on the Tar River at Old Bailey Highway, Spring Hope, NC. Photo opportunity of the protest on the water less than 1,000 feet from the put-in on the Old Bailey Highway Bridge and from the bridge itself (coordinates: 35.8651984, -78.0098886). Conversation and speeches at Chico’s Mexican Restaurant, 1701 Sunset Ave, Rocky Mount, NC.
Who: Local landowners and outdoor enthusiasts, Sierra Club Organizer Caroline Hansley, Tar-Pamlico Riverkeeper Heather Deck and local farmer Marvin Winstead.
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