Sierra Club Sends “Blast Zone” Mailer on Fracked Gas Pipeline

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Sierra Club sent a mail piece to Northampton and Halifax County residents informing them that they may be in the “blast zone” or “evacuation zone” for the fracked gas Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

Fracked gas pipelines like the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) can explode, causing severe injuries and even deaths. The size of a pipeline’s blast zone and evacuation zone depends on its size and the pressure at which it operates. For pipelines like the proposed ACP, a 36” diameter pipe operating at 1440 psi would have a blast zone of 943’ on either side of the pipe and an evacuation zone of 3071’ on either side, according to a Report by the Rachel Carson Council.

The proposed ACP would pump fracked gas from West Virginia into North Carolina, and industrial facilities called compressor stations are used to push the gas down the line. Should the ACP receive the permits necessary to be built, Northampton County is expected to be the home of a compressor station. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is holding a hearing next week so residents can have input on the process. The Sierra Club mailer encourages residents to attend the hearing and “tell state leaders to say no to Duke’s dirty air.” Duke Energy is one of the companies behind the project. Publicly released plans show the project’s route running more than 600 miles through West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, though leaked audio recently revealed Dominion plans to run it through South Carolina, as well.

The hearing is November 15 at 6:00 p.m. in the Garysburg Town Hall at 504 Old Highway Rd. in Garysburg, NC. Residents can go to sc.org/nc-air to RSVP or to sc.org/noacp if they can not attend but want to submit comments on the project.

In response, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign Director Kelly Martin released the following statement:

"Fracked gas pipelines like the one Duke Energy wants to build through our state are dirty, dangerous, and pose serious threats to the health and safety of North Carolinians. Whether it’s breathing dirty air or being in the “blast zone” for the project, people affected by this pipeline deserve to have their concerns heard, and this mailer lets them know how they can do that. The NC DEQ has done a great job of providing opportunities for public input on this project, including giving people have a chance to express their concerns on November 15th air quality hearing."