Speakers: Yadkin should benefit Carolinians, not Alcoa

A crowd gathered to listen to several speakers, including Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks, at the home of Davidson County Commissioner Cathy Dunn. Photo by Karissa Minn, Salisbury Post.

Keith Crisco, secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce, speaks at the home of Davidson County Commissioner Cathy Dunn. Photo by Karissa Minn, Salisbury Post.

By Karissa Minn

kminn@salisburypost.com

More than 200 people gathered to hear state and local officials speak out against Alcoa’s relicensing effort Thursday evening.

The meeting was held at the Lexington home of Davidson County Commissioner Cathy Dunn, who said she believes the people of North Carolina should control the Yadkin River and its hydroelectric dams.

Alcoa Power Generating Inc. has been working to obtain another 50-year license to operate the dams, which originally powered an aluminum smelting plant on Badin Lake. Dunn said Alcoa no longer serves a public benefit, and the state should recapture its license.

Max Walser, chairman of the Davidson County Board of Commissioners, pointed out the board has not taken an official position on the issue.

The only thing it has voted on is to not sign the relicensing settlement agreement — at the recommendation of Walser, who participated as a representative of the board. He said he was concerned about water levels and did not believe Alcoa had been a “good corporate citizen.”

N.C. Sen. Fletcher Hartsell, who represents Cabarrus County and parts of Iredell County, brought up a recently passed bill that establishes the Uwharrie Regional Resource Commission, which could hold the license and find subcontractors to operate the project.

“This is designed to put environmental issues on par with economic development issues,” Hartsell said. “We need to be certain that we use our resources for our purposes in a reasonable way, with local people making decisions.”

N.C. Sen. Stan Bingham, who represents Davidson County, also shared his support for state recapture.

Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks spoke about Alcoa’s environmental record, saying it contaminated Badin Lake with toxic PCBs that remain in fish and sediment today. Alcoa has contended that it spent $10 million in remediation efforts and that studies show there is no significant threat to human health. Naujoks said different scientific studies have proven otherwise.

A representative for N.C. Rep. Hugh Holliman said the legislator supports the Yadkin River Alliance and wants to do everything he can to help.

N.C. Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco said he came to share why, if Alcoa’s license is denied, ownership should be given back to the state.

“The main reason North Carolina is involved is not for the government takeover or an asset grab,” Crisco said. “We’re doing it for the citizens and being prepared.”

He said if the state did recapture the license, it would do its best to maintain every agreement that Alcoa has made — something he asserts the company itself has not done.

When Alcoa first received its license in 1958, it said it would provide 900 jobs to the community. Those jobs left when the Badin Works plant closed in 2007.

“There is no greater economic development project I know of than the value of water flow of the Yadkin River and its impact on the people who live there,” Crisco said. “It’s your greatest asset.”

Tony Dennis, chairman of the Stanly County Board of Commissioners, also spoke to thank everyone for their support of Stanly County on this issue.

Chuck Melton, a former member of the High Rock Lake Association (HRLA) Board of Directors, said he resigned from that board when he thought it “came to believe Alcoa was more important than its own members.”

During the question and answer session that followed, several members of the audience got up to speak.

One audience member asked why if Alcoa had an agreement to maintain a certain number of jobs it hasn’t faced consequences for failing to meet that agreement.

Faison said it was a “handshake agreement” that did not have today’s legal protections attached, so there is no way to demand payment for jobs lost.

Another member of the public asked why Alcoa’s license would need be valid for as long as 50 years.

Hartsell responded that the minimum license term under federal law is 30 years, and if Alcoa obtains another license, it will not be for a term of less than that.

Many in the audience applauded in agreement to speakers during the event, but one audience member was vocal in her opposition.

Beth Livingston, of Gold WEB Properties in Davidson County, first questioned environmental claims against Alcoa, saying that warnings against eating contaminated fish are in effect across the state — not just at Badin Lake. She said Alcoa’s current policies are good for development along the Yadkin River and generate significant revenue for the state.

Another member of the audience agreed, saying that with Alcoa, “at least we know what we’re getting.”

Henry Book, a member of the HRLA Board of Directors, also said he disagreed with some of the points presented. He said that a state recapture of the license would be “government taking over private enterprise.”

After the meeting, Book said the HRLA supports Alcoa’s relicensing settlement agreement in part because it has now agreed to maintain certain water levels — a major concern for those who live near the lake.

Contact Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.

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