The impact of mass emails on diminishing public backing for a North Carolina pipeline project
In a recent turn of events, a controversial email campaign has been making waves in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The campaign, led by Williams, a prominent Oklahoma-based energy company, aimed to garner support for the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP), an expansion of the Transcontinental pipeline.
The SSEP project, one of several projects Williams is developing, seeks to add 24 miles of new pipe alongside the existing Transcontinental pipeline in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. If approved, the project would move about 15 percent of the nation's natural gas, including much of the gas used along the Eastern Seaboard.
The email campaign, however, was considered unusual by some commissioners. Over 1,000 to 1,500 emails were sent to all seven commissioners in Forsyth County, with recipients reporting they were not aware of the Transco project and sought clarification. The emails were not sent by a third party; residents had to complete the steps and send them themselves.
The emails were collected and sent in 2021 from an office in Pennsylvania, and were sent from a "landing page" after residents chose to participate in an advocacy campaign in Forsyth County. While the email senders had to "opt in" for the campaign, it's unclear if they specifically opted to send the message about the Transco project.
In response to the criticism, Atchie, representing Williams, issued an apology for the unusual email campaign and asked the groups to stop. The company also asked unnamed "groups" that also support natural gas to communicate to local elected officials about the Transco project.
However, the details of how the email campaign occurred still bothered some commissioners, as they came in at all hours, even 3 a.m. Last week, the Forsyth County commissioners, consisting of four Republicans and three Democrats, voted unanimously for a resolution raising safety and environmental concerns about the Transco project, asking federal officials to deny a permit for it unless those concerns are resolved.
The SSEP project would run through Kernersville, a small city in eastern Forsyth County, and Oak Ridge, a growing suburb in neighboring Guilford County. The Sierra Club's Hansley found the email campaign unusual and expressed concerns about it during a board meeting.
Industry groups such as the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America argue that more pipelines are needed to ensure reliable and affordable energy while also supporting jobs and local economies. The SSEP project, if approved, would add 55 miles of new pipe in two segments known as loops, making it a significant addition to the existing Transcontinental pipeline system.
The Transcontinental pipeline, a 10,000-mile system of multiple, parallel pipes, has been moving gas between the Texas coast and New York City since 1950, making it the largest interstate supplier of natural gas in the country. The proposed pipeline expansion, the SSEP, is a contentious issue, with concerns about safety, environment, and the unusual email campaign being raised by various groups and commissioners.
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