I just learned about the proposed Sulfur processing facility that a Canadian owned company wants built on the waterfront in Morehead City. If built it will mean the entire area will reek of sulfur's rotten egg smell for miles in all directions. It also means more ships, more dredging, more pollution as well as the ever present risk of fire and explosions. This same company recently had a fire at their facility in Aurora, NC which injured 17 workers and was cited with dozens of violations. That facility has completely decimated the river fish population. This new facility, if built, it will completely change the entire Southern Outer Banks forever. We surfers know better than most how severe the effect can be from industrial pollution. Please join us by SAYING NO TO THE SULFUR PLANT! in an email to Governor Beverly Perdue ( governor.office@nc.gov ) and visiting the Clean County Coalition's website: http://www.cleancounty.org/
They're currently doing it roughly 50 miles inland in Aurora, NC. They want to move the smelting facility to the coast to save a couple bucks. The "big benefit" for residents in the area, the carrot that PCS is dangling in our faces, is that this plant will create 18 jobs. Please, whether you surf in our area or not, we need your support! Visit the cleancounty.org website and email the governor and other elected officials listed there. PCS thought they could sneak this facility in and start building it before anyone could find out. There have been no public forums or announcements of any kind. Now that this issue has been aired, we need to be as vocal against this issue as we can. Otherwise we will loose this pristine section of the Outer Banks forever. Edit: We're learning more about the proposed plant a little bit at a time and I'd like to correct something I wrote earlier in this thread: The sulfur melting plant planned for Morehead City on the Crystal Coast will be the first of its type, anywhere. They don't currently melt sulfur at the Aurora, NC, only in their facilities in Galveston and Vancouver. This is actually worse than we first were lead to believe. Anyone who's visited Galveston knows it's a big, dirty port city, with no residential areas for miles. Nothing like little Morehead City where they will be building the plant across the street from vacation condos, restaurants and charter boats.
The movement against the sulfur plant is gaining momentum. Read more about what's been happening here: http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/news-times/front/ If you care about the future of North Carolina's Outer Banks, please visit http://www.cleancounty.org and voice your support. Thanks!
this sucks, and i'm no environmentalist. not at all, not by far, but i really don't like this kinda stuff. it's funny, because jersey is known for factories, and the pollution, and just being dirty. aside from the syringe tide stuff going on in the late 80s our water is pretty clean. there are however no factories, or power plants on or near any beaches in our state. the power plant in south jersey there by exit 26 on the parkway, and oyster creek up by 70 on the parkway are the closest. oyster creek is pretty much on barnegat bay, but not near the ocean. same with the south jersey plant. now in california, and hawaii they both have factories, and or power plants right on the oceans or within a block. in redondo beach california, and that stretch near lax is that el segundo or something? filled with factories. a couple down by long beach too i think. even oahu was a power plant right by a supposedly extreme break. i've been by it, but wouldn't go in the water there.
BREAKING NEWS: Quick action promised on plant http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2011/07/24/news-times/news/doc4e2b3500a8142813839090.txt If you surf the banks, plan on visiting the banks, or have any interest at all in the banks, send an email to Governor Perdue ( governor.office@nc.gov ) and ask her to STOP THIS PLANT!
You're talking about Kahe power plant and it's across the street from the surf spot called "Tracks". The power plant burns oil and the effluent the comes out is hot water. There's a cooling pool on the beach just South of Tracks where the hot water cools to roughly the same temperature as the ocean. It's a popular spot for scuba diving tours as the fish, fauna and sharks seem to like the warmer water there. The sulfur plant in Morehead City, as you can imagine, is a whole 'nother story. It's really gonna stink up the entire Crystal Coast.
Just to update and close this thread, Governor Perdue came to Morehead City yesterday to announce that after she spoke with PCS Phosphate, they withdrew their plans to build a sulphur melting facility here. She also signed an executive order that will put in place additional safeguards to ensure future port projects will include the public's participation. The outcome couldn't have been better. THANK YOU GOVERNOR PERDUE!
I'm real disappointed in the Surfrider Foundation. I called and emailed the main office in California and emailed the local branch up in Nags Head. They didn't even give me the courtesy of a reply. When we needed them, they couldn't even take 2 seconds to say they were too busy to help. I also contacted Greenpeace and the Sierra Club. Greenpeace was also a no-show. The Sierra Club used our plight as an example of why there should be stricter regulation on industry. That's it. What an eye opener, I'll tell you.
