I am a lifelong North Carolinian, born and raised in Richmond County. My family has lived here for generations. I am an active member of my church, a caterer, and a former chicken plant worker. I lead a local group called the Concerned Citizens of Richmond County (CCRC). I love my community. I work hard to be a good neighbor and to preserve the environment surrounding my community.
In 2019, Enviva built a plant to process trees into small wood pellets. The pellets are shipped from the Wilmington port to Europe and Asia, and burned to create electricity. CCRC knew about the environmental and health impacts, and opposed the construction of Enviva’s plant.
In 2019 CCRC learned that Enviva was violating the Clean Air Act. We were part of a lawsuit to force Enviva to install pollution controls. Still, our community is being exposed to harmful toxins and pollutants that can cause asthma, heart attacks, and cancer. Enviva creates dust pollution that covers people’s homes and cars.
Enviva will claim that they are a good neighbor because they provide jobs in the community. I am not against job creation or development. But I support employment opportunities that do not jeopardize our well-being.
October 19th is the International Day of Action against Biomass. CCRC joined 100 organizations and 12,000 individuals in sending a petition to Enviva.
We urge Enviva to:
Install dust controls to protect communities.
Reduce dust, pollution, and truck congestion.
Cease nighttime operations.
Halt logging in critical ecosystems.
Create a Good Neighbor Fund for impacted residents.
Operate independently without government subsidies.
Commit to halting production expansion and transition to cleaner energy sources.
— Debra David, Hamlet