Residents of the town of Oak Ridge showed up in force at the Guilford County Commissioners meeting on Thursday evening, May 1, to voice their strong opposition to a proposed natural gas pipeline that would cut through their community. They cited threats to safety, water quality, the climate and more.
The proposal is part of Williams Transco’s Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, which seeks to expand natural gas infrastructure across several southeastern states.
During the public comment portion of the meeting — which kicks off every regular Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting — about a dozen speakers warned of dire consequences if the pipeline is approved. The commissioners do not have the ultimate say but the pipeline opponents want the board to adopt a resolution opposing the project.
The section of pipeline planned to pass through Oak Ridge has stirred deep concern among homeowners, environmental advocates, faith leaders and others.
The commissioners heard the concerns from Oak Ridge residents at a work session in April; however, no representatives from Williams were present at that earlier meeting.
Commissioner Pat Tillman, who represents District 3, where Oak Ridge is located, visited homeowners in the town recently to hear their concerns firsthand.
A Board of Commissioners work session scheduled for May 15 will bring pipeline representatives before the board for the first time, where the commissioners plan to ask them questions – some of which will have been submitted by town residents.
One woman, speaking at the May 1 meeting, focused on the impact of the new pipeline to water quality.
“The pipeline right-of-way crosses several bodies of water which poses a huge risk to our water from sedimentation and hazardous chemical pollutants,” she told the board. “Williams has one of the worst safety records among US pipeline operators. The data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration does not support their claims of prioritizing safety.”
She also noted that only 11 inspectors cover the entire southern region for pipeline oversight.
“That’s the fox guarding the henhouse,” she said, warning of limited regulation and enforcement capabilities.
Austin Goldman, who is a trustee with Oak Ridge First Baptist Church, told commissioners that the congregation’s main building is just 300 feet from the current pipeline.
“We are in the blast zone,” he said, citing Williams’ own guidance that in the event of an imminent explosion, residents would have just 30 seconds to escape.
“Adding a 42-inch high-pressure pipeline exacerbates the danger,” Goldman said. “We owe it to our congregation and community to protect them. Buildings can be replaced. Lives cannot.”
He concluded with a formal position statement from the church’s board opposing the expansion and thanking the commissioners for hearing their concerns.
Environmental Scientist Dr. Sandra Cooke warned that the pipeline would cross a waterway that feeds into Lake Brandt — a major drinking water reservoir for Greensboro. She emphasized that large-diameter pipelines increase sediment pollution and can clog expensive new systems designed to remove “forever chemicals” such as PFAS.
“The city has invested millions to upgrade the Mitchell Water Treatment Plant,” she said. “Any additional sedimentation could severely impact this investment, not to mention increase the presence of harmful contaminants.”
She noted that both Lake Brandt and Lake Townsend have been labeled highly susceptible to contamination.
“To protect the integrity of our water supply and these massive investments, we must keep projects like Transco out of our watershed,” she said.
Tom Guthrie, a professor of sociology and anthropology at Guilford College, framed the pipeline project in very stark moral terms.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say this is a matter of life and death,” he said. “These companies don’t bring power and economic development – they bring debt. This project will lock us into decades of fossil fuel use and will worsen the climate crisis.”
He urged the commissioners to stand against what he called “death projects,” and he pointed out the disproportionate impact of fossil fuel infrastructure and climate change on marginalized communities.
“I’m begging you – stand up for life, not fossil fuel profits,” he said. “Don’t let Williams run out the clock.”
Another speaker emphasized what he said is the “all-risk, no-benefit nature of this project,” and added, “This is the time for soul-searching, not political calculation.”
One woman addressed the board with a list of specific questions she urged them to ask the pipeline company at the upcoming work session.
Among the questions: What plans are in place for evacuations? What procedures address potential leaks? How will the company ensure the protection of water during and after construction?
She also questioned the climate implications, asking how much methane – a potent greenhouse gas – leaks during gas extraction, transport and use.
“How does Transco justify bringing no local benefits and only risk?” she asked.
Diana Garrison, a longtime Oak Ridge resident, said her home faces the current pipeline and that she understands the risks firsthand.
“Now we see what they meant when they said we wouldn’t have neighbors across the street,” she said, referencing the desolate zone around the pipeline.
She added that her home and many others in her neighborhood rely on wells for water.
“We’re very vulnerable,” she said. “And I’m concerned about the children. The pipeline is right behind the Oak Ridge Methodist Church playground. What happens when construction begins? Will the kids have to stay inside?”
She warned of the possible damage to the existing pipeline during construction of the new one.
“We’re just asking you to stand with us,” she said. “Take a hard look. Pass a resolution against this project.”
Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston assured residents that the commissioners are listening.
“We plan to meet with Williams on May 15,” Alston told those at the meeting. “Please submit your questions. We’ll do our best to ask them on your behalf.”
Alston encouraged continued public involvement.
“We like seeing y’all; come any time,” he said.
I love our rural communities. They propose that nothing ever be built near them. Why do you think they live in seclusion? All enhancements to modern life should be constructed in densely developed areas where many people live. Argue with that.