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Culture, Energy, Power Collaborative Project Statement

This statement outlines our goals for the Biomass project, what materials we assembled, and our guiding theoretical compasses for analysis of our work during Dr.

Disproportionate Impacts

gracefine

In response to

10. What intersecting injustices -- data, economic, epistemic, gender, health, infrastructure, intergenerational, media, procedural, racial, reproductive -- contribute to environmental injustice in this setting?

In my opinion, something that is ethically wrong with this case is the fact that much of the pollution coming from biomass factories like Enviva are disproportionately affecting Black and Brown rural comminities. These communities experience health issues from the saw dust and can be seen cleaning sawdust off their outside belongings. It is important to see how much thes communities are impacted when looking at biomass corporations.

Map of DWR Animal Operation Permits

This is a map of North Carolina that shows the distribution of (permitted) CAFOs across the state, as well as the category - swine, cattle, or poultry.

Activism Against Atlantic Coast Pipeline and CAFOs

jleath12

In response to

What activism has this hazard prompted?

The development of both pipelines and CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) in eastern NC have prompted action from justice organizations such as the North Carolina Environmnetal Justice Network (NCEJN). To address the ongoing problem of CAFOs, NCEJN has provided a number of resources on their site, as well as ways to take action by signing a petition to stop the use of hog waste as fertilizer. Prior to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) being canceled in 2020, NCEJN played a role in organizing protests and taking legal actions- in conjunction with many other community member and activist groups- against Dominion and Duke Energy, the companies responsible for the ACP's construction.

Bioenergy in Academia

Major institutions such as NC State and NC A&T are contributing to bioenergy by promoting research and careers in the field, despite being so close to the communities facing the impacts.

Grace Fine Annotation

gracefine

In response to

5. What have different stakeholder groups done (or not done) in response to the problems in this setting?

The complaints of Duplin County residents and the Environmental Justice Community Action Network about general permitting for hog farms in Eastern NC. These permits would give way to more ground and water pollution due to the relaxed regulations on corporate farms that hold multiple different numbers of livestock. Plans for the implementationa pipline called the "Grady Road project" interrupt the family and small scale farms in the ares. A quote from the Duplin County NAACP president Robert O. Moore says:

"The corporation has refused to implement any technology to clean up the water, citing the cost of doing so was too expensive. Yet the cost of this biogas project rivals the cost that would have been to implement cleaner and safer technology to ensure the safety of those living near these operations."

Many local groups in Eastern NC counties have previously tried to receive assistance to help with their agriculture waste managment systems, yet fall short due to many government officials only focusing on corporate farms.