Stop Alcoa getting control of the Yadkin River for another 50 years

Star, N.C. -- A new poll commissioned by Central Park, NC has gauged public opinion regarding Alcoa Corporation's application for a new 50-year license to control part of the Yadkin River to produce hydroelectricity for the benefit of its shareholders. A survey of 500 registered voters across North Carolina indicated that most North Carolinians overwhelmingly oppose such an agreement.

Alcoa Corporation, a Pittsburgh-based aluminum corporation, was granted a federal license in 1958 to use the Yadkin River for 50 years to generate low-cost hydroelectricity for the production of aluminum at its Badin smelter. The aluminum plant was permanently shut down in 2006, and Alcoa now uses the electricity generated by a series of hydroelectric dams to sell on the open market. The company currently employs about 30 people in Stanly County, and according to its own reports generates approximately $46 million in revenues each year from the Yadkin River. The company applied for a new license in 2008 to continue to produce hydroelectricity. The relicensing process has stirred up much controversy and concerns over the past three years. Many environmentalists and state and local officials in the region have remained steadfast in their belief that the river should be controlled by a publicly held trust in order to provide better benefits to the region and state. They believe the hydroelectricity can be used to attract thousands of jobs in coming decades, as well as provide critical water supplies to meet the needs of the state's 9.5 million and growing residents.

To add to the controversy, Alcoa lost a critical water quality permit last year when internal company e-mails showed that officials withheld information that downstream waters may not meet state standards. In addition, although elevated levels of PCBs produced by Alcoa have been found in fish in the river, Alcoa fought the installation of signs along Badin Lake warning people not to eat the contaminated fish, which infuriated many local lake residents.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Alcoa;Yadkin
• River;Relicensing;water
• rights;

[ncoutlander]

The Alcoa Deal does not just involve Stanley County. This is a bad deal for all North Carolina residents, not just Stanley County. We need to control our own natural resources. It's scary to think that some International Corporation like Alcoa could sell their licensing rights immediately to a foreign corporation such as China or Saudi Arabia. Stanley County is not the only one who has a dog in this fight.