In Depth with Dan: Beachfront homes collapse in NC's Outer Banks, converting garbage into energy

HOME TODAY AND START PACKING.

>> LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT.

WE GOT A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER

IN TONIGHT'S MAILBAG. I WANT TO

START WITH A FLURRY OF

QUESTIONS THAT WE GOT AFTER

9 HOMES FELL INTO THE WAVES AT

THE OUTER BANKS. HERE IS A

QUICK MONTAGE FOR YOU. ONE HOME

AFTER ANOTHER AFTER ANOTHER

FALLING INTO THE WATER INTO THE

OCEAN. A FEW INBOX AND ANOTHER

ONE IN RODANTHE. THIS DEBRIS

THEN GETTING SPREAD ALL UP AND

DOWN THE BEACH, CLOSING IT DOWN

TO VISITORS. WILL EVERYTHING

GETS CLEANED UP SO MANY

QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS BATH ASKED

WHO CLEANS IT UP. STEVE, WHO

PAYS FOR THE CLEANUP? RACHEL,

WHY ARE THEY DEMOLISHED AND

MARY JO ARE THERE NO LAWS

REQUIRING DEMOLITION? SO THESE

ARE ALL GREAT QUESTIONS AND

THEY ARE ALL QUESTIONS. WE WE

HAVE AN ANSWER BEFORE. WE HAVE

COVERED THIS A FEW TIMES IN A

COUPLE OF SEGMENTS RIGHT HERE

IN DEPTH. AND YOU CAN CHECK

THOSE OUT ON THE WRAL YOUTUBE

PAGE. BUT SINCE YOU'RE HERE

RIGHT NOW, AND WE JUST A QUICK

RECAP FOR YOU. SO FIRST BETS

QUESTION, WHO CLEANS IT UP?

WELL, THE HOMEOWNERS ARE REALLY

ON THE HOOK FOR THE CLEANUP,

BUT BUT IN THIS GETS A LITTLE

MURKY BECAUSE THESE HOMES FALL

INTO PUBLIC BEACHES AND INTO

THE OCEAN, SENDING DEBRIS MILES

DOWN THE COAST COMPLICATES

THINGS. THAT'S WHEN THE

GOVERNMENT THEN STEPS IN TO

CLEAN IT UP. IT'S A COMBINATION

OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

AND SOME CONTRACTORS HIRED BY

COUNTY GOVERNMENT, WHICH MEANS

THE ANSWER TO STEVE'S QUESTION,

WHO PAYS FOR THE CLEANUP WILL

SOMETIMES LOTS OF TIMES MOST OF

THE TIME. IT'S YOU. AND ME,

THE TAXPAYER. BUT WHY DOES IT

ALWAYS COME TO THIS OR AS

RACHEL PUT IT, WHY ARE THEY

THE HOMES DEMOLISHED BEFORE

THEY CAN COLLAPSE? WILL

SOMETIMES THEY ARE EARLIER THIS

YEAR. ONE HOME WAS MOVED TO

ANOTHER ONE WAS DEMOLISHED.

BUT IN MOST CASES, THE HOMES

ARE LEFT THERE UNTIL THEY

COLLAPSE BECAUSE OF MONEY.

YOU SEE IT IS EXPENSIVE.

VERY EXPENSIVE TO DEMOLISH OR

RELOCATE THESE OCEANFRONT HOMES

ON THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

WILL HELP OUT SOMETIMES IN

2023. THEY USED A SPECIAL FUND

TO BUY 2 HOMES. THEY PAID

$700,000 TO DO THIS IN THOSE

HOMES WERE DAN DEMOLISHED

BEFORE THEY COULD POLLUTE THE

BEACH. BUT AGAIN, IN MOST

CASES, THE HOMEOWNERS ARE

FORCED TO SHELL OUT THE MONEY

THEMSELVES. PRIVATE INSURANCE

AND FEDERAL FLOOD INSURANCE.

THEY WILL NOT COVER THIS COST

NOT TO DEMOLISH OR RELOCATE

HOMES. OFTENTIMES REALLY THE

ONLY COMPENSATION WILL COME

AFTER THE HOUSE IS DEMOLISHED

BY THE WAYS FALLS INTO THE

OCEAN AND THEN INSURANCE WILL

PAY OUT. WHICH BRINGS US TO

MARY JONES QUESTION. ARE THERE

LAWS REQUIRING DEMOLITION SO

THAT THEY DON'T REACHED THAT

POINT OR HAVE THAT PART OF THE

EQUATION OR HOMEOWNERS ARE

INCENTIVIZED TO LEAVE THEIR

HOMES THERE AND NO, THERE ARE

NO LOSS. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT,

THAT WOULD BE KIND OF UNFAIR

RIGHT IN THE GOVERNMENT,

FORCING HOMEOWNERS TO DEMOLISH

OR RELOCATE THEIR HOME. AND

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT A LOT

OF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY

TO DO. THEY JUST CAN'T AFFORD

IT. AND THEN THE GOVERNMENT'S

NOT GOING TO HELP THEM TO

OFFSET THAT COST. BUT A PAIR

OF CONGRESSMAN FROM NORTH

CAROLINA THINK THEY DO HAVE THE

ANSWER. REPRESENTATIVES GREG

MURPHY AND ON DAVIS, A

REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRAT WORKING

ACROSS THE AISLE. THEY FILED

A BILL AUTHORIZING THE NATIONAL

FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM TO GIVE

PAYOUTS TO PEOPLE SO THEY CAN

DEMOLISH OR RELOCATE THEIR HOME

BEFORE IT IS DESTROYED. THAT

BILL IS STUCK IN COMMITTEE AND

IT MAY BE THAT WAY FOR A WHILE

BEFORE MORE MOVES FORWARD AS

CONGRESS IS A LITTLE BIT

PREOCCUPIED RIGHT NOW WITH THAT

WHOLE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

THINK. BUT IF THE BILL DOES

GET A VOTE, WE WILL LET YOU

KNOW. WE'LL BE WATCHING.

I'M MOVING ON TO THE EMAILS

ABOUT TRASH. WE GOT A BUNCH

OF QUESTIONS ABOUT A STORY OF

PEOPLE LIVING NEAR THAT SOUTH

WAKE COUNTY LANDFILL. BREAKING

NEWS. IT SMELLS TERRIBLE.

BUT THIS WAS A GREAT REMINDER

OF WHERE OUR TRASH ACTUALLY

GOES. A VIEWER NAMED ROBERT SAW

THE STORY AND WROTE IN AND

SAID, I'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE

ABOUT WASTE 2 ENERGY. SO THIS

IS A FASCINATING PROCESS.

WASTE TO ENERGY IS POSSIBLE.

WE CAN CONVERT WATER BOTTLES,

GROCERY BAGS, BANANA PEELS,

PACKING. PEANUTS. PIZZA BOXES.

THE TAKEOUT CONTAINER THAT YOU

FORGOT ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE

INTO ELECTRICITY OR EVEN INTO

FUEL. MAYBE SOME OF YOU HAVE

SEEN THE SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS

OF A GUY IN GEORGIA WHO WHO

TURNS PLASTIC IN THE GASOLINE

IN HIS BACKYARD.

>> I BUILT THIS MACHINE BEHIND

ME SO I CAN MAKE GASOLINE FOR

$0 A GALLON FROM PLASTIC WASTE.

>> LET'S GO. SO THAT HE'S

JULIAN BROWN. HE BUILT A

MACHINE THAT CONVERTS PLASTIC

GARBAGE, INDY FUEL. HE SAYS

LABS HAVE TESTED IT OUT.

THEY CLAIM THAT IT WORKS TO

BE CLEAR. HE DID NOT INVENT THE

PLASTIC TO FUEL PROCESS, BUT

HE DID CREATOR CLAIMS TO CREATE

A MORE EFFICIENT WAY TO DO IT

WILL COME BACK TO THAT IN JUST

A MOMENT. BUT THERE IS A REAL

DEMAND FOR THIS SORT OF THING

ALL OVER THE WORLD IN 2022.

WASTE. ENERGY FACILITIES WERE

42 BILLION DOLLAR GLOBAL

INDUSTRY. THEY TAKEN 15% OF THE

WORLD'S TRASH. THE MOST POPULAR

MODERN TURN. THE MODEL, I

SHOULD SAY TURNS TRASH INTO

ELECTRICITY. NO. ON AVERAGE

ONE FACILITY CAN CREATE 34

MEGAWATTS. THAT'S ENOUGH TO

POWER AROUND 22,000 HOMES NOW

GENERALLY THE WAY IT WORKS IS

THE TRASH IS INCINERATED.

THAT CREATES TEAM THAT STEAM

TURNS A TURBINE DRIVEN

GENERATOR, CREATING

ELECTRICITY, WHICH THEN GOES

OUT ONTO THE GRID. THERE ARE

HUNDREDS OF THESE FACILITIES

IN CHINA AND INDIA, BUT THERE

ARE ONLY AROUND 60 IN THE

UNITED STATES. WHY? WHY IS

THAT? WELL, THERE ARE SEVERAL

DRAWBACKS WITH WASTE TO ENERGY

PLANT EMISSIONS FOR ONE AIR

QUALITY. AND THAT OLD, NOT MY

BACKYARD KIND OF THING. ALSO,

THE BIG ONE SAY IT WITH ME NOW.

MONEY. IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON

THEME IN A LOT OF THE SEGMENTS

THAT WE DO A LANDFILL. THE SIZE

OF THE ONE SAY WE HAVE IN SOUTH

LAKE COUNTY THAT COSTS ABOUT

150 MILLION DOLLARS TO BUILD

AND MAINTAIN. COMPARE THAT TO A

WASTE TO ENERGY PLANT BUILT

RECENTLY IN PALM BEACH,

FLORIDA. BACK IN 2015 THAT COST

672 MILLION DOLLARS MORE THAN 4

TIMES THE COST OF A LANDFILL.

YOU HAVE TO BURN LOTS AND LOTS

OF GARBAGE TO MAKE UP THAT

COST. WASTE TO ENERGY IS

EXPENSIVE. VERY, VERY

EXPENSIVE. BUT THAT COULD

CHANGE ONE DAY. THAT BRINGS US

BACK TO JULIAN BROWN. THE GUY

CONVERTING PLASTIC INTO FUEL IN

HIS BACKYARD. LIKE I SAID, HE

DIDN'T DISCOVER THE PROCESS.

HE DISCOVERED A NEW WAY TO DO

IT IS MACHINE IS SPECIAL

BECAUSE IT USES SOLAR ENERGY

AND MICROWAVES TO BREAK DOWN

THE TRASH, MAKING THE WHOLE

PROCESS MORE EFFICIENT,

POTENTIALLY LESS EXPENSIVE.

RESEARCHERS OUT OF SAUDI ARABIA

PUBLISHED A STUDY EARLIER THIS

YEAR. THEY LOOK TO SIMILAR

PROCESS AND FOUND TO BE, QUOTE,

A PROMISING APPROACH FOR THE

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF

PLASTIC WASTE WASTE TO ENERGY

AS A LARGE-SCALE ALTERNATIVE,

THOUGH, IS STILL MANY YEARS

AWAY TO A CHEAPER EASIER

PROCESS MOVES FROM THE BACKYARD

TO A BIG BUSINESS WILL KEEP

PUTTING TRASH WHERE WE PUT THE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN A HOLE

IN THE GROUND. TELL ME YOUR

THOUGHTS ON THESE EMAILED AND

AT WRAL DOT COM. WHAT SHOULD WE

BE COVERING ON THIS SEGMENT