Fight the Enbridge Pipeline
What We Are Fighting: Enbridge Gas North Carolina (formerly PSNC Energy) is pushing a ~28-mile, 12-inch high-pressure fracked-gas pipeline from Siler City to the Moncure industrial area. This project threatens private family farms with eminent domain, cuts across the Haw, Deep, and Rocky River watersheds, and forces North Carolina ratepayers to subsidize speculative industrial and data center infrastructure.
Four Core Reasons We Must Stop This Pipeline
Backed by a unanimous September 21, 2026 Chatham County Board of Commissioners opposition resolution and over 1,000 petition signers, our coalition is standing up against corporate overreach.
Eminent Domain & Voluntary Agricultural Districts
Enbridge land agents are pressuring landowners with 30-day entry notices under N.C.G.S. § 40A-11. At least 23 enrolled Voluntary Agricultural District farms and sacred Indigenous Tuscarora spaces face permanent right-of-way encumbrances, forest clear-cutting, and depressed property values.
Irreparable Harm to the Haw, Deep & Rocky Rivers
Trenching and horizontal drilling across dozens of streams, wetlands, and protected 50-foot riparian buffers risk severe sediment pollution, turbidity, and habitat destruction for rare and endangered aquatic species across the Cape Fear basin.
Subsidizing Speculative Industrial & Data Center Loads
The pipeline terminates at the Moncure industrial hub near proposed mega-data centers. Without an independent alternatives analysis studying existing easements (such as the Cardinal pipeline), residential ratepayers face higher monthly bills to subsidize private corporate demand.
Health, Safety & Environmental Violations
Nationally, Enbridge has accumulated over $283 million in environmental violation fines since 2000 and over $700,000 in safety fines. Standard farm and homeowners' insurance policies do not cover damages from commercial pipeline incidents.
Understanding Regulatory Jurisdiction & Approvals
Because this 28-mile pipeline does not cross state lines, it is classified as an intrastate utility project. That means the federal energy commission (FERC) does not oversee its siting—and state utility laws preempt local county zoning vetoes. Stopping the pipeline requires targeting the exact state and federal environmental agencies that hold veto power.
NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ)
Approvals Needed: Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification, Riparian Buffer Authorizations (15A NCAC 02B), and Sedimentation & Erosion Control Plans (DEMLR).
Why It Matters: Enbridge cannot legally trench across streams or obtain federal permits without NCDEQ certifying that water quality won't be degraded. Demanding an Individual 401 Permit (instead of a fast-tracked general permit) forces rigorous environmental review, alternative route analysis, and a formal public hearing in Chatham County.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Wilmington District)
Approvals Needed: Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit for dredged or fill material in wetlands and navigable waters.
Why It Matters: Evaluates cumulative impacts on wetlands, streams, endangered species, and historic/cultural sites (including Indigenous Tuscarora lands). Public comments and scientific evidence submitted during the 404 notice window can force an Individual Permit review or trigger permit denial.
NC Utilities Commission (NCUC)
Approvals Needed: Report of Proposed Construction (ROPC) docket filings, rate-base cost recovery (Rider E / General Rate Cases), and Pipeline Safety inspections.
Why It Matters: Controls whether Enbridge can pass $250M+ in construction costs onto NC ratepayers. Local governments, the NCUC Public Staff, and intervenors can demand proof of public need and a full "no-build" or existing-easement alternatives analysis.
Chatham County & N.C. State Courts
Authority: County Board of Commissioners Intervention & N.C.G.S. Chapter 40A Eminent Domain Court Challenges.
Why It Matters: While state law preempts local zoning bans on public utilities, the Commissioners' Sept. 21, 2026 Resolution authorizes county attorneys to challenge permits, intervene in regulatory dockets, and support landowners contesting right-of-entry and "public use" in court.
Project Timeline & Where Your Voice Has the Greatest Impact
Enbridge wants to rush permitting in 2026 to start clearing trees and trenching by 2027. History shows that pipelines are defeated in two ways: protecting landowner rights on the ground to slow right-of-way acquisition, and mobilizing overwhelming public opposition during state and federal permit windows.
Route Planning & County Opposition Resolution
Enbridge announced the 28-mile Siler City-to-Moncure project in April 2026. Over 1,000 residents signed petitions, 50+ speakers packed the August 5 hearing, the Agriculture Advisory Board issued a 101-page report, and on September 21, 2026, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a formal Resolution Opposing the Pipeline.
Survey Letters, Route Finalization & Eminent Domain Resistance
Enbridge has finalized its proposed route and sent attorneys/land agents to pressure property owners with N.C.G.S. § 40A-11 survey notices.
- Refuse Spot Agreements: Landowners are under zero obligation to sign initial offers or allow unscheduled access.
- Retain Eminent Domain Counsel: Connecting every affected parcel owner with contingency-fee legal counsel challenges right-of-entry and delays right-of-way acquisition timelines.
NCDEQ Section 401 & USACE Section 404 Environmental Permitting
Enbridge is expected to soon submit applications for its state Section 401 Water Quality Certification and federal Section 404 wetland/stream crossing permit. Once deemed complete, these filings open mandatory 30-day public comment periods.
- Demand Individual 401 Permitting: Pressure NCDEQ to reject fast-tracked general permits and require a full Individual 401 Certification.
- Pack the Local Public Hearing: Force NCDEQ to hold an in-person public hearing inside Chatham County and turn out hundreds of residents.
- Submit Substantive Technical Comments: Flood the administrative record with site-specific evidence on endangered species, stream buffers, erosion hazards, and sacred sites so regulators have legal grounds to deny the permit.
NCUC Utility Filings, Rate Cases & Erosion Control Plans
Before construction can proceed, Enbridge must clear NCDEQ Sedimentation & Erosion Control review (DEMLR) and justify capital recovery before the NC Utilities Commission (NCUC).
- Demand an Alternatives Analysis: Urge the Board of Commissioners and state legislators to petition the NCUC for a formal evidentiary hearing requiring Enbridge to prove public need versus upgrading existing easements.
Targeted Construction (2027) & In-Service (2028)
Enbridge aims to begin clearing and trenching in Fall 2027 with gas flowing in 2028. Sustained legal challenges, landowner solidarity, and permit denials can delay or cancel the project before a single trench is dug.
Key Coalition Dates & Briefings
Press Conference on Data Centers, Fossil Fuels, and Constitutional Amendments
Haw River Assembly is joining organizational allies, other Riverkeepers, and communities across the state in solidarity against the proposed Constitutional Amendments, which will have disastrous impacts on local municipalities' ability to defend their communities against the harms and financial exploitation of extractive industries.
1:30 PM Rally & 2:00 PM Press Conference: Community members will gather outside the Community House at 1:30 PM for a protest/rally with banners, art, and neighbor connections before the 2:00 PM press conference featuring Chatham County residents and leaders. Join and stand in solidarity!
Landowner Rights 101: Eminent Domain Presentation & Q&A
To hear more about these tips and resources and have the opportunity to safely and easily ask questions to an eminent domain attorney, join us Thursday, November 5th at 6:30 PM for a free, virtual hour-long presentation and discussion on Landowner Rights 101.
Click Here to Register for Zoom & Receive Join Link →Resources, Direct Action & Campaign Updates
Dive deeper into landowner legal protections, contact state regulators in one click, or read our latest investigative briefings.
Take Action Center
Use our 1-click email generator to contact NCDEQ 401 Permitting Supervisor Stephanie Goss and the NC Utilities Commission, sign the official petition, or join a volunteer strike team.
Go to Take Action →Landowner Rights & FAQ
Read the 8 Rules for Landowners facing survey letters, understand Eminent Domain 101, browse our directory of NCAJ eminent domain attorneys, and access printable flyers.
Understand Your Legal Rights →Connect with 1,100+ Neighbors
Join our active Fight Enbridge Facebook community group for real-time neighbor discussions, or read our latest regulatory dispatches and press coverage.
Smart Chatham • Haw River Assembly • 7 Directions of Service • Clean Water for NC • Deep River Riverkeeper • Frontline Chatham Landowners
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