Elected officials discuss Williams' proposed pipeline expansion in the Piedmont

Though the federal permitting process could take more than a year, local elected officials are starting to weigh in on the proposed Williams Companies natural gas pipeline expansion.  

The proposal calls for 24 miles of pipeline to be built through the Triad, with an additional 30 miles in Rockingham County leading into Virginia. 

Williams' project has already caught the eye of multiple environmental advocacy groups and members of the North Carolina General Assembly for the risks it could pose to public safety, health and the environment. 

Opposing views

Supporters of the expansion, like Rockingham County Commissioner Houston Barrow, say increased methane gas output — much of which will go to Duke Energy — will result in lower utility rates for his constituents. 

"If you can increase supply of natural gas, economics shows that that decreases cost and we have a lot of poverty-stricken people here in Rockingham County and anything we can do to help lower energy costs I think is a good thing," Barrow said. 

Barrow, along with his fellow commissioners, unanimously passed a non-binding resolution in support of the expansion last Monday. 

Because other Williams pipelines have run through Rockingham County for years without issues, Barrow said he is not concerned about any potential harm coming to residents living near the project. 

In Forsyth County, Commissioner Dan Besse has already written to the federal government asking for a thorough examination of the proposed project and its effects. 

"I’m concerned that this project is part of an unnecessary and extremely costly buildout of methane gas infrastructure that will not benefit the citizens of Forsyth County in any way," Besse said. 

In his letter to the regulatory agency in charge of reviewing the project, Besse raised questions about how residential neighborhoods and parks would be affected both by construction and future transport of methane gas. 

Besse also said he’s worried the nearly $1.5 billion project will be funded not by investors but by clients through rate raises. 

Energy rates in North Carolina have fallen slightly. In the last year, the state government lowered Duke Energy's residential rates by around 4%.

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