HORRY COUNTY, SC (WPDE) – A lawsuit that has been going on for several years is now affecting new businesses along the Grand Strand because they are unable to get natural gas from Dominion Energy.
It is all connected to the efforts of environmentalists to stop the Pamplico pipeline.
Dominion Energy is looking to install a natural gas line along Old River Road south of the Kingsburg Valve Station in Florence County, but the 15-mile route could affect several waterways including wetlands.
The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League filed a lawsuit against DHEC for granting Dominion Energy a water permit, but a court ruled in favor of DHEC in 2023.
So BREDL filed an appeal to protect the Great Pee Dee River.
READ MORE: Pamplico residents continue to fight the natural gas pipeline
“We think it’s unnecessary and it’s about greed. These gas pipes cause water pollution. The Great Pee Dee River provides water to Florence County residents,” said Kathy Andrews, Executive Director of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League.
Andrews told ABC 15 that most residents in the area don’t want the pipeline on their land, and she believes the area was singled out.
“They want to put it in an area where there are a number of African-Americans living there. They target poor areas full of minorities and say, ‘We’re going to put in a pipeline because we’re not going to get any pushback,'” Andrews said.
But now Dominion Energy is pushing it, too. They have suspended natural gas for new construction in the greater Myrtle Beach area in the fall of 2024.
We reached out to them to learn more about the lawsuit, the moratorium and the pipeline project. This is the statement they gave:
“For more than five years, Dominion Energy has been working to expand our gas system to include a new 15-mile natural gas line along Old River Road near Kingsburg, which will parallel an existing line in the same right-of-way corridor. However, the necessary environmental permit issued by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services for the company’s project has been challenged in court by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL), a non-governmental organization based in Asheville, NC after it lost its legal challenge . in the South Carolina Court of Administrative Justice, BREDL continued its legal challenges, and the permit is now on appeal before the South Carolina Court of Appeals. As a result of a stay issued by the South Carolina Court of Appeals, construction of the company’s project has ceased. Until the litigation challenging the permit is completed, including further appeals to the South Carolina Supreme Court, the necessary system expansion project cannot be completed and the Myrtle Beach area will continue to experience restrictions. The permitting reform, which is a component of the proposed energy bill, aims to streamline the appeals court process for projects like this that are essential to South Carolina’s energy future.
Dominion Energy of South Carolina’s well-trained team of highly skilled professionals works every day to ensure the safety of the public and the integrity of our natural gas system. We monitor our system flows and pressures 24/7, patrol our system for leaks, and have robust system integrity programs. We operate and maintain our system in compliance with all federal and state guidelines and regulations. We remain committed to serving the nearly 500,000 customers in South Carolina who have switched to the value and convenience of natural gas for their homes and businesses. Until the planned expansion projects can be completed as needed, we are unable to make any new service commitments in the area.”
Local leaders tell ABC 15 they’ve already seen that restriction affect businesses trying to open on the Grand Strand.
CONTINUED COVERAGE: Florence community members speak out against the gas pipeline
“So we’ve had a hotel and a restaurant and a brewery that were all waiting to get gas, and once they got through the process of building them, they went to apply for it, then they were told we’re now in a moratorium,” said Sandy Davis, CEO of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation.
The owner of the Riviera Motor Lodge in Atlantic Beach said his business has been affected, he needs natural gas to open a restaurant on his property.
He told ABC 15 that an electric furnace is about three times the cost of a gas furnace, and switching to propane will cost him tens of thousands of dollars.
“Everything is going to cost, even putting propane in here is going to cost. Just to have a rental for each tank instead of getting one tank, now I have to get four tanks just to provide the BTUs I need to run my equipment, and of course, it’s going to cost to change it all appliances in gas appliances,” Mohamed Alkassar, Owner Riviera Motor Lodge.
Davis said they are working with local businesses to help and educate them about what’s going on because this hiatus could last several years.
“We just want to be able to keep them updated on what’s going on so they can find out if this project can move forward in two years, can it move forward in three years, and that’s kind of the time frame we’re looking at,” Davis said.
However, Alkassar said it was too long to wait.
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“That’s something I’m not going to wait, you know three years just to put a gas line in. So we’re going to hopefully move forward with the propane and see what happens,” Alkassar said.
Andrews said if they lose the appeal, they plan to take it all the way to the state Supreme Court.
BREDL and the Pamplico Defense League plan to hold a public meeting on February 15th from 11 to 1 at the Pamplico Library for anyone who wants to get involved in preventing the pipeline.
Dominion Energy tells me they remain committed to providing reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy to all of their customers.
