Dear RCC Supporter,

On November 17, 2022 at 6:00 pm, the North Carolina Secretary’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board will host an in-person special meeting on biomass. Advisory Board members will field questions and concerns from the public regarding the air quality permit renewal of wood pellet manufacturer Enviva’s Ahoskie, NC plant.

If at all possible, please come to Raleigh to briefly explain why you are opposed to expanding wood pellet production! The meeting is in the Green Square Training Room, 217 West Jones Street, Raleigh, 27603.

This summer, Enviva Pellets, LLC (Enviva) applied to the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) for a Title V air permit renewal for their Ahoskie Plant.

Their application also requested permit modifications to increase production of wood pellets from 481,800 oven dried tons to 630,000 oven dried tons per year!

Although the permit, if approved, would require the installation of air pollution control equipment and operational limits to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) and hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions, the proposed huge production boost would result in more forest destruction, increased dangerous truck traffic on rural roads, and an influx of already significant regional dust pollution.

And, these “pollution controls” are little comfort since there is no safe level of VOCs or HAPs in our air. Enviva is poisoning North Carolina’s air and water, threatening the health of front-line communities, and destroying our greatest defense against carbon emissions: forests.

Make your voice heard. Please show up at the special in-person meeting in Raleigh. Let the Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board know that renewing the Ahoskie plant’s air quality permit is an affront to environmental justice and public health and a sure-fire way to accelerate the climate crisis.

If you are ready to go to Raleigh and speak out, click on the “register to speak” button.

For details about the meeting and how to attend in person or on-line, hit the “meeting details” button.