One thing that has been encouraging about people’s reactions to this situation is how NON-POLITICAL the reaction has been. Everyone and every organization has spoken out against it, from the chamber of commerces and NC economic development agency, to town councils, city councils, county commissions, Republicans, Democats and Independents alike, we are all against the planned location for this facility. In fact, all of Carteret County is largely Republican yet our county commission is unanimously against the plant. As for the environmental organizations, I’ve notified them, but as this subject has been kept secret until just a few days ago they apparently are only beginning to realize what’s going on and have so far been relatively silent on the subject.
Just to be clear, they have literally proposed to put this sulfur smelting site across the street from vacation condos, smack dab in the middle of our small town and residential area. Besides Morehead City, Beaufort and Atlantic Beach are also within a mile of the facility. This stinky plant will also be within yards of our historic downtown and town hall, schools, historic residences, etc etc. PCS’s other two facilities were built in the middle of huge industrial areas of very large cities (Vancouver and Galveston). Here, they propose to build this stink factory in the middle of a 9,000 person town.
Our little section of the Outer Banks hosts what has until now been ranked some of the cleanest beaches and waters in the entire US. Some of the best surfing in North Carolina is directly upstream and upwind of the site, from Cape Lookout and Shackleford Banks which are in the protected National Seashore, to Fort Macon, Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores and Emerald Isle. All these areas will be directly effected.
This entire area is a major fishery, in fact Morehead City’s claim to fame is that we are the “fisherman’s paradise”. The plant is planned to be built right in the middle of the yacht basin where all the charter and small commercial fishing boats are berthed.
The only people who are in favor of the site have been PCS employees and the state of NC (although now that this issue has been aired publicly, we’re hoping they change their position). According to PCS, the “benefit” to Morehead City is that it would gain 18 jobs, less than even the local MacDonalds hires.
Apparently the main reason PCS wants to build the smelting plant here is that it enhances their profits. They currently transfer raw sulfer from sea going ships to barges in Morehead City, then tugs push the barges 100 miles inland where the sulfur is currently processed in Aurora, NC. They want to, instead, smelt the raw sulfur right here on the coast instead. Apparently some accountant figured it would same them a buck or two and the state, probably knowing how unpopular this move would be, tried to keep everything secret.