SCSJ’s Statement on Appeal in Moriah Energy Center Case

Environmental Justice
moriah energy center site with hazard sign transposed beside it to highlight the danger the liquified methane storage facility poses to the community and environment

ROUGEMONT, N.C. (Jan. 13, 2025) — Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) released the following statement alongside its appeal in Clayton, et al. v. Person County. The case challenges Person County’s rezoning of parcels from rural residential and conservation designations to industrial zoning for the plans of Enbridge – formerly Dominion Energy – to construct and operate the proposed Moriah Energy Center (MEC) liquified methane storage facility. 

Click here to read the appeal

This statement can be attributed to Anne Harvey, Chief Counsel for Environmental Justice at SCSJ. 

“The residents of Person County deserve access to clean air and water, as does every North Carolinian. At every step, community members in Person County have voiced their opposition to the dangers posed by the Moriah Energy Center and Enbridge’s blatant disregard for the health and safety of residents. Yet, the Person County Commission ignored overwhelming citizen opposition to pander to industrial utility interests and fundamentally and permanently altered the rural character of the community, putting people’s health and homes at risk. This is the latest example of how corporate interests are pushing fossil fuel projects that worsen the climate crisis and harm North Carolinians.”  

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Southern Coalition for Social Justice, founded in 2007, partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the South to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing, and communications. Learn more at southerncoalition.org and follow our work on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.