Pipeline will fuel local growth

The Robesonian
By Al Locklear

It’s no secret that Robeson County needs new opportunities for growth and economic development. Our unemployment rate is well above the national average, and we’re losing out to areas in western North Carolina in attracting new industries and good-paying jobs.

We have opportunities within our grasp to build a more vibrant economy and create new jobs. We just need to take advantage of them.

One of the most important opportunities is the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline — a 600-mile underground natural gas transmission pipeline that could bring new, abundant supplies of clean-burning natural gas into our community by 2019. The natural gas transported through the pipeline will be used to generate cleaner electricity for residents all across eastern North Carolina, and perhaps more importantly, to fuel new industrial development in our area.

The lack of natural gas infrastructure in Robeson County has hindered our economic development for years. It’s deterred energy-intensive industries from locating here, and that’s resulted in fewer job opportunities.

With the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in place, Robeson County will finally be in a position to attract the auto manufacturers, food processers and other major industries we’ve been competing for and losing out on for so many years. These industries rely on large volumes of natural gas to power their facilities, and even as feedstock for their products. With the promise of access to vast new supplies of this clean-burning fuel, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will finally enable our economic development officials to recruit these industries to our area.

New industries will result in thousands of new jobs for our people, millions in new tax revenue for our city and county governments, and overall a better quality of life for the entire community.

In addition to new industries and jobs, the pipeline alone will contribute close to $900,000 a year in new property tax revenue in Robeson County, a significant boost that will allow the county to invest more in our schools, roads, public safety and other local services.

I’ve heard some pipeline opponents say that we should focus more on renewable energy, instead of natural gas. Some even go so far as to say that renewable energy can replace all fossil fuels and meet all of our future energy needs.

Unfortunately, that’s just not realistic.

I share the desire to invest more in renewable energy sources like solar power. When it comes to generating small-scale electricity for homes and small businesses, solar can play an important role.

That’s why I’m glad to see that Duke Energy has invested more than $1 billion over the last few years in new solar facilities — a truly historic investment and an encouraging step forward.

But the reality is that only natural gas is capable of producing the large amount of around-the-clock power we need to replace the many coal-fired power plants Duke is retiring over the next several years. Solar technology has not advanced to the point where it can power whole cities and industries 24 hours a day. On average, solar only generates electricity about 20 to 30 percent of the time, so we need reliable energy sources like natural gas to produce electricity the rest of the time.

And let’s not forget — natural gas is far cleaner and has far less environmental impact than coal. Replacing older coal plants with new natural gas plants reduces carbon emissions by half and lowers sulfur and nitrogen emissions by 80 to 90 percent. Those are major environmental improvements, and we shouldn’t overlook them.

As chairman of the Lumberton Chamber of Commerce, I can personally attest that when manufacturers and other major industries are interested in locating in our area, they’re not asking about access to solar power. Their primary concern is having access to natural gas. That’s the fuel of choice for industry in the 21st century, especially manufacturing.

As chamber chairman and a member of the Lumbee Tribal Council, I am proud to be part of this community. I want to see us grow and prosper. I am excited about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline because I believe it will open new doors of economic opportunity and improve the lives of our people.

Let’s embrace this opportunity to rebuild our economy, create new jobs and bring new investment to Robeson County.

Al Locklear is chairman of the Lumberton Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, a member of the Lumbee Tribal Council and Lumber River Trading-True Value Hardware.