https://www.envivabiomass.com/facility/hamlet-nc/, "Enviva Plant Hamlet, N.C. ", contributed by Dana Powell, Environmental Injustice in Eastern North Carolina, USA, Disaster STS Network, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 14 December 2022, accessed 1 December 2024. http://465538.bc062.asia/content/enviva-plant-hamlet-nc
Critical Commentary
In 2019 Enviva opened it's Richmond County facility in the town of Hamlet. This facility produces 600,000 metric tons of wood pellets annually. It wasn't until 2021 that it reached its full production capacity. North Carolina's Department of Air Quality (DAQ) wrongfully classified the Enviva plant as a minor pollutor and gave the facility permits which violated the Clean Air Act and North Carolina Air Pollution Control Act. The innacurate classification resulted in litigation from Clean Air Carolina which then resulted in a settlement that dictates Enviva is responsible for paying the cost of any disputes discussed in the agreement. Another stipulation of the agreement was that Enviva install a regenerative thermal or catalytic oxidizer within 180 days. According to June Blotnick, Executive Director of Clean Air Carolina, residents of Richmond County face "some of the worst health outcomes in the state". It is likely that the new Enviva plant will exacerbate these issues.