Deadline to participate in pipeline application process nears for Piedmont residents

In late October, owners of the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline submitted an application for a new project that would run through the Piedmont. 

Its official name is the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project. If built, it would increase the transcontinental pipeline’s output in the area by nearly a third.

Pipeline expansion

About 25 miles of new pipeline could be installed in parts of Davidson, Forsyth and Guilford counties. Another 30 miles would go through Iredell County and cross into Virginia. 

To compensate for the increased output, Williams Companies, the pipeline owner, would up the power of the compressor stations it uses to push the methane gas.

Deirdre Dlugoleski is an associate attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. She said more power means more fuel. 

"The concern that I have specifically with the compressor stations is the air pollution, the localized air pollution that’s gonna be coming out of these things," Dlugoleski said. 

While some pumps will be modified to run off electricity, others, like one located in the outskirts of Lexington, will simply burn more fossil fuels. 

That same pump, which is more of a facility than a singular structure, sits less than a mile from the nearest residence. 

As it stands, Williams is waiting for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC to consider its application. 

How to participate

Dlugoleski said residents who want a say in that process have until December 3 to file a motion to intervene. Basically, this would give them the option to voice their concerns to the FERC.

"That sounds a lot scarier than it is," Dlugoleski said. "You fill out a form on FERC’s website saying that you would like to formally participate in the docket and that’s it. Intervention is required if you do eventually want to challenge the decision in court. It doesn’t bind you to litigation. It just keeps your options open."

Williams Companies says it has taken on the expansion to meet residential and commercial demand for energy in the area. 

Anyone who wishes to file a motion to intervene can visit FERC’s website, where step-by-step instructions are available.

Santiago Ochoa covers healthcare for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. Follow him on X and Instagram: @santi8a98