Editorial: Conjured pipeline controversy hatched to brighten GOP's cloudy election-year prospects?

Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018 -- The pipeline developers should demand the mitigation money be spent according to the agreement. If not, they should nix the deal. If legislative Republicans and the bitter ex-governor persist in their harping, Gov. Cooper should tear up the agreement and demand the General Assembly come up with the $57.8 million they've promised the people of eastern N.C. He's looking to help the region grow and prosper. Legislative leaders can't see past an effort to brighten a political party's cloudy election-year prospects.

Posted 10:00 a.m. Feb 27, 2018 — Updated 7:15 p.m. Feb 27, 2018

CBC Editorial: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018; Editorial # 8273

The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company

While some state permitting has been approved, there is still much to be done before the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project is bringing natural gas to eastern North Carolina – largely to fire electric-generating power plants.

While some gas will be available for other uses, there will be significant expense to access it. There will also be other costs, unknown now, for mitigation of infrastructure needs and environmental concerns.

With admirable foresight, local economic and community development leaders in the region, in discussions with the pipeline developers and independent of any permitting considerations, worked out the framework for a $57.8 million mitigation fund. Now, only the memorandum of understanding exists. The plans in the memo are far from final and either side can withdraw. No money has been transferred. The money will not be given until all permits are acquired for the project and work has been completed.

With completion of the project, the money provided by the pipeline would be distributed in accord with needs outlined in the agreement signed by Gov. Roy Cooper’s office. The specific mechanics for distribution of the money are to be detailed in an executive order issue by Cooper, a Democrat.

Though the money does not exist, the Republican leaders of the General Assembly have already grabbed it. As a result, the legislature has promised money the state doesn’t have and won’t control, to financially-strapped school districts in counties the pipeline will pass through.

If legislators truly wanted to assist schools in need, they’d have provided adequate funding long ago instead of short-changing classroom needs along with teacher and school principal pay.

In reality this is a huge, politically-motivated over-reaction. This is a manufactured election-year tempest, stirred up by a bitter ex-governor, a political research operation and the legislative leadership. During Jan. 29, and Feb. 6 radio interviews with the John Locke Foundation’s Rick Henderson, former Gov. Pat McCrory hinted, with innuendo but without proof, that the mitigation fund was a “payoff” in return for a state permit and also was a “potential slush fund.”

The comments were echoed two days later in a kangaroo-court of a legislative committee meeting.

A diverse group of community leaders in eastern North Carolina, talking and working with the pipeline developers, came up with the idea of a mitigation fund.

The last thing that Dominion Energy of Virginia, developer of the project along with Duke Energy, wants is to get embroiled in an extracurricular political mud match.

The pipeline developers should clearly demand that the money be spent according to the agreement. If not, they should nix the deal.

If legislative Republicans and the bitter ex-governor persist in their harping, Cooper should tear up the agreement and demand the General Assembly come up with the $57.8 million they’ve now promised the people of eastern North Carolina.

No doubt, Cooper would gladly take the blame for trying to help the people of his state. He’s looking to help eastern North Carolina grow and prosper. It is the legislative leaders who can’t see past a desperate effort to brighten a political party’s cloudy election-year prospects.

NOTE: Capitol Broadcasting Company is developer of Rocky Mount Mills, a multi-use residential, business and commercial site in Nash County, one of the pipeline counties.

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