Enbridge Gas North Carolina wants to build a 28-mile gas pipeline through Chatham County, from Siler City to Moncure. The route would cross the Haw River, run along the Rocky River, and cut through Varnell’s Creek, Harland’s Creek, and streams that feed the Deep River. These waters support rare and protected fish and mussels, and families along the route rely on private wells for drinking water.

The route also crosses documented Tuscarora village sites, part of a connected Indigenous landscape where Tuscarora, Sissipahaw, Occaneechi, Saponi and other Siouan peoples lived, traded and buried their ancestors for centuries. Once these places are dug up, they can never be restored.

Before Enbridge can dig, it needs a water quality permit from NC DEQ, called a 401 certification. DEQ can either give this project a quick, general approval or require a full, individual review of every stream, wetland, and buffer the pipeline would cross. An individual review means closer scrutiny, more chances for the public to weigh in, and a real possibility that the permit is denied or the route is changed.

DEQ has denied a pipeline water permit before. In 2020, it rejected the 401 permit for the MVP Southgate pipeline over water-quality concerns. Public pressure helped make that happen, and it can happen here.

More than 300 Chatham County residents packed a county hearing this summer, and all 50 speakers opposed this pipeline. Now DEQ needs to hear from us directly. Tell DEQ to require an individual 401 permit and hold a public hearing in Chatham County, so the people who will live with this pipeline get a real say.