Yesterday, the Senate Agriculture, Energy and Environment Committee rejected the confirmation of Dionne Delli-Gatti, Governor Cooper's pick to be Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
Last month's cyber-attack on the Colonial Pipeline made clear how vulnerable North Carolina has become to disruptions in our energy infrastructure. Our state experienced a panic-at-the-pumps, but that crisis was minor compared to the disaster we would experience in a similar attack on our natural gas pipeline infrastructure. North Carolina depends on natural gas for roughly 30% of our electricity generation, but relies on a single pipeline, which is already at full capacity, for our supply of this critical resource. An attack shutting down the Transco natural gas pipeline would cause immediate and severe disruption to North Carolina's power grid, leaving homes and businesses in the dark and our economy at a standstill. Two new pipeline projects were poised to relieve North Carolina's lack of natural gas capacity but, unfortunately, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project was withdrawn by the owners due to government regulatory opposition, while the Cooper administration denied a critical permit to the Mountain Valley Pipeline project just a few weeks ago.
When Delli-Gatti was asked about these projects in her confirmation hearings in the Senate, she admitted to having only "a little bit of knowledge" about them. Just 48 hours after her testimony, the Department of Environmental Quality denied the permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We need a DEQ Secretary who is going to lead North Carolina to a place of energy security, not make us more vulnerable than we already are.
Sen. Paul Newton, R-Cabarrus stated, "Ms. Delli-Gatti was unable to articulate any strategy whatsoever surrounding North Carolina's 'No. 1 vulnerability,' which is our reliance on a single pipeline for all of our natural gas. That is disqualifying."
I serve as Chairman of the NC Energy Policy Council (EPC), and I am very aware of the growing situation in our state when it comes to our lack of pipelines. I stand with the Senate Committee on rejecting Dionne Delli-Gatti, because it is time North Carolina has a DEQ Secretary who will prioritize affordable, reliable energy for the people of North Carolina, and not the unworkable
"green new deal" agenda of the left.
Mark Robinson
Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina