Alcoa relicensing agreement earns additional support

The Trading Ford Historical District Preservation Association is the latest organization to announce its support for Alcoa’s relicensing of its hydroelectric dams along the Yadkin River. The association formally endorsed the Relicensing Settlement Agreement in a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) earlier this month.

The relicensing agreement is now formally supported by 26 organizations, including North Carolina and South Carolina state agencies, local governments along the Yadkin River, environmental organizations, homeowner associations and recreational users.

“The relicensing of the Yadkin Project is in the best interests of cultural resources in the Yadkin Project area, and is beneficial to the public in Davie, Davidson, Montgomery, Rowan, and Stanly Counties,” reads a certificate signed by Ann Brownlee, president of the Trading Ford Historic District Preservation Association.

The Trading Ford Historical District Preservation Association has been an active participant in the relicensing process for nearly a decade. It joins Stanly County and Davidson County as groups that have formally added their names to the list of relicensing supporters this year.   

Relicensing supporters now include:

State and federal agencies, including the US Forest Service, the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, the SC Department of Health & Environmental Control, and the SC Department of Natural Resources.

Local governments along the Yadkin River, including the City of Albemarle, the Town of Badin and Davidson, Montgomery, Rowan and Stanly counties.

Environmental organizations, including American Rivers, the Land Trust for Central North Carolina, the Nature Conservancy (S.C. Chapter) and the S.C. Coastal Conservation League.

Local homeowners and recreational groups, including the Badin Lake Association, the High Rock Lake Association, the Piedmont Boat Club, and the Uwharrie Point Community Association.

Business organizations, including the High Rock Business Owners Group, the Pee Dee River Coalition, and the Salisbury/Rowan Association of Realtors.

Others supporters include the Catawba Indian Nation, Badin Historic Museum, and the Trading Ford Historical District Preservation Association. 

New Energy Capital FERC Motion Rejected

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has denied the request by New Energy Capital Partners to intervene into the relicensing of the Yadkin Project. 

The FERC order, filed on May 30, 2013, states that: "New Energy has not demonstrated good cause for late intervention. The events identified by New Energy are not sufficient to show good cause why the deadline should be waived, particularly where, as here, the motion is filed six years after the deadline.”

"New Energy has failed to meet the good cause standard for granting late interventions, and therefore, its motion for late intervention is denied."

You can read the entire FERC order online at: http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13268860

Click here to read the Charlotte Observer story, "Feds deny late entry into Alcoa hydro relicensing."

ERI Celebrates One Year at New Badin Business Park Facility

Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation’s largest recycler of electronic waste, is celebrating the first anniversary of operating at its new facility at Badin Business Park this week.

“Badin has proven to be an ideal location for our recycling operations in the Southeast,” said John Shegerian, ERI Chairman and CEO. “We are establishing a state-of-the-art facility here that will allow us to continue expanding our operations as the market for electronics waste grows.”

Since moving into the new, larger facility in May 2012, ERI has increased its recycling volume and grown its workforce. The company currently operates two shifts and employs more than 65 people.

Alcoa made a strategic investment in ERI and helped convince the company to open its first Southeast location in North Carolina in July 2011 at the Badin Business Park location. ERI initially operated in a temporary facility at the site, while ERI and Alcoa invested $10 million to renovate a 165,000-square foot facility to accommodate ERI's long-term needs.

“When we set out to develop the Badin Business Park, we couldn’t have asked for a better partner than ERI. They are committed to this community and play a vital role in the recycling industry,” said Kevin Anton, Alcoa’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “The Badin Business Park holds tremendous potential and we look forward to bringing more companies like ERI here.” 

ERI works with retailers, manufacturers, Fortune 500 companies, government entities,  educational institutions and charitable organizations to recycle electronic waste, including laptop computers, cell phones, televisions, printers and other electronics. Some of its notable customers include Best Buy, Samsung, the Salvation Army and the U.S. Government.

About Electronic Recyclers International Inc: Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation’s largest privately held recycler of electronic waste, is R2 and e-Stewards certified to de-manufacture and recycle every type of electronic waste in an environmentally friendly manner. ERI processes more than 200 million pounds of electronic waste annually at seven locations in seven states. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-884-8466 or visit www.electronicrecyclers.com.

About Badin Business Park: Badin Business Park, developed by Alcoa, includes 600,000 square feet of prime industrial space in Stanly County, NC. The 123-acre business park is located at the site of the former Alcoa aluminum smelting plant. Alcoa has invested more than $15 million to redevelop the former plant site into a business park for manufacturing companies. Electronic Recyclers International, the nation's largest recycler of electronic waste, is the park’s inaugural tenant.

Study: PCBs in Yadkin are a watershed issue

The NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources held a meeting at Morrow Mountain State Park on Monday to discuss the results of a study of PCBs in the Yadkin River.

We appreciate the state’s efforts to further study PCBs along the Yadkin River. Here’s a quick recap of the study’s findings:

•       The fish in the Yadkin River are like the fish everywhere.

The fact that the state found PCBs in fish is not surprising — the EPA has found the same thing in nearly every river, lake and stream it has studied.

•       The sediment is safe.
State health officials collected and analyzed 31 sediment samples along the Yadkin River over a two-year period. Low levels of PCBs were detected in two sediment samples, but the levels do not pose any risk to human health or the environment or warrant any action. 

•       Eating fish has proven health benefits, but limit consumption of catfish.
State health officials analyzed 104 fish caught in three reservoirs (High Rock, Falls and Lake Tillery) along the Yadkin River. The study found slightly elevated levels of PCBs in nine samples, each of which were catfish that were 18” or larger. (Older and larger fish tend to have higher levels of PCBs, in general.) 

•       No new fish advisory.
There is a statewide advisory already in place for mercury that recommends limiting consumption of catfish from all North Carolina lakes. Following that advisory is fully protective according to the state.  

The Yadkin study found PCBs in fish located well upstream and downstream of Alcoa’s former smelting plant in Badin. That further demonstrates that this is not an “Alcoa issue,” but an issue that impacts the entire Yadkin watershed.

Click here to view a presentation from the Division of Public Health: 
http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/oee/hace/docs/YadkinPeeDeeFishPCBs.pdf

Public Hearing Scheduled for Tuesday, May 14

The NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued the following notice today about a public hearing on our water quality certification request. 

Public hearing scheduled for May 14 on Alcoa water quality certification request

RALEIGH – The N.C. Division of Water Quality will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. May 14 to gather public comments concerning Alcoa Power Generating Inc.’s application for a state water quality certification as required by the federal Clean Water Act and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing process.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, hydropower licensing process works to ensure that projects will minimize damage to the environment through the certification requirements of state water quality agencies.

If the FERC license were approved, it would allow Alcoa to continue operation of the hydroelectric dams at High Rock, Tuckertown, Narrows and Falls reservoirs on the Yadkin River. This run of the river crosses Davie, Davidson, Rowan, Montgomery and Stanly counties.

The hearing will begin at 7 p.m. in the Stanly County Commissioners Meeting Room, 1000 North First St., Albemarle. Speaker registration and sign-in will begin at 6 p.m.

The purpose of the hearing is to allow the public to comment on the company’s application submitted in September 2012 and additional information submitted thereafter. The application and supporting documents can be found online at: http://its.enr.state.nc.us/Weblink8/Browse.aspx?startid=169386.

The application may also be inspected at the DWQ central offices in the Archdale Building, 512 North Salisbury St., Raleigh, N.C. 27604. To schedule an appointment to review the file, please contact Karen Higgins atkaren.higgins@ncdenr.gov or 919-807-6360.

The public is invited to comment on the application by speaking at the hearing, by submitting written comments at the hearing or by mailing them to the division. Please send comments to Karen Higgins at the above email address or to: Karen Higgins, DWQ, 1650 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1650. The comment period ends at 5 p.m. June 13.