Resolution backing the Amazon wind farm from the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Economic Development Commission

WHEREAS the Amazon Wind Farm US East provides a valuable source of pollution-free and carbon-free electricity while taking a tiny amount of land out of agricultural production and providing a valuable income stream for local farmers; and

WHEREAS the Amazon Wind Farm US East has already been a huge benefit to the Pasquotank County and regional economy, employing more than 220 during construction and spending nearly $16 million locally; and

WHEREAS the Amazon Wind Farm US East will continue to be a tremendous economic benefit to residents and landowners in Pasquotank County, providing residents with $270,000 in annual tax payments and landowners with $320,000 in least payments annually, each income stream growing by $1.5% annually for 30 years; and

WHEREAS the Amazon Wind Farm US East will continue to employ 10 to 15 workers making an average salary of $80,000, which will be nearly three times the average salary paid to workers in Pasquotank County; and

WHEREAS wind farm developer AVANGRID invested more than $400 million in the Amazon Wind Farm US East only after receiving regulatory approval from all the lawfully governing agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the United States Department of Defense Clearing House, the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the Pasquotank County Commission, and the U.S. Navy; and

WHEREAS Seymour Johnson Air Force Base has affirmed in writing that the Amazon Wind Farm US East poses no conflict with its training-flight paths; and

WHEREAS the U.S. Navy came to this conclusion only after it was confirmed by extensive modeling based on the same MIT study that 10 North Carolina legislators now claim without basis proves the opposite; and

WHEREAS honoring these legislators’ request would render AVANGRID’s $400-million investment worthless, constitute an unprecedented confiscation of fully approved private-sector capital investment by the government, and send a terrible message to other businesses considering investing in North Carolina;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Economic Development Commission urges the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Office of the Governor, Senators Richard Burr and Thomas Tills and the North Carolina Congressional Delegation to vigorously state their opposition that this blatant attempt to usurp the rule of law in the United States and North Carolina; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Economic Development Commission urges President-Elect Donald Trump’s Transition Team to treat this with the inaction it deserves.