Email campaigns undermined the public's backing for a North Carolina pipeline project

In the heart of North Carolina, a gas pipeline expansion project known as the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) has sparked debates among local officials and residents.

The SSEP, one of several projects developed by the Oklahoma-based company Williams, worth over $70 billion, aims to add new compressor stations and extra pipe to the Transcontinental pipeline. The project includes two segments: the Salem Loop, which would add 24 miles of pipe between Winston-Salem and Greensboro, and the Eden Loop, which would follow Transco across the North Carolina-Virginia border.

The project has garnered support from officials in Rockingham and Davidson counties, but not everyone is on board. A town in Davidson County called Midway has formally opposed the SSEP, while another, unnamed town in Forsyth County remains undecided.

Williams, the company behind the SSE project, has asked unnamed "groups" that also support natural gas to communicate with local elected officials. An email campaign was launched to support the Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement project, with approximately 1,000 to 1,500 emails being sent to all seven commissioners in Forsyth County. The emails were not sent by a third party, but residents had to complete the steps and send them themselves.

However, the email campaign was unusual for the commissioners, as some recipients were unaware of the Transco project and wanted to know why they were receiving emails. The emails came in at all hours, even as late as 3 a.m., which concerned Commissioner Besse.

Commissioner Besse questioned whether the email senders had to opt in for the specific message about the Transco project. Williams' representative replied that the email senders had to "opt in" on a holistic basis of energy infrastructure, meeting reliable energy needs.

The details of how the emails were sent still bothered Commissioner Besse. In June, commissioners in Guilford County, a more urban jurisdiction that is home to Greensboro, passed a resolution asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to "meaningfully address safety and environmental concerns" about SSEP.

Another Transco expansion project is the Northeast Supply Enhancement project in New Jersey, connecting to New York City. This project has been revived amid maneuvering between President Donald Trump and New York's Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul.

The email campaign was unusual for the commissioners, and some recipients were unaware of the Transco project. Williams apologized for the email campaign being more robust than expected and asked the groups to stop. The third party named by Chazz Clevinger, CEO of CiviClick, conducting a support campaign for Williams on his platform is "Fair Vote Action."

Despite the controversy, the SSEP project continues to move forward, with Williams seeking approval from FERC. The project's future remains uncertain, as local opposition and safety concerns persist. Commissioner Besse moved on from the topic, expressing no further interest in belaboring the point.

Email campaigns undermined the public's backing for a North Carolina pipeline project