(Part 8…and Last...in a Series)
More than 40 years ago, the Carteret County Land Use Plan was updated to address port development on Radio Island.
Reviewing that document from 1985 might be a helpful starting point for further discussion about the future of Radio Island and the North Carolina State Ports Authority.
It was noted: “A proposal in late 1981, for development of a coal storage and loading facility on Radio Island sparked opposition from interested parties” in Carteret County.
“The lack of adequate rail access and the potential environmental problems associated with coal…led to the preparation of an Area Development Plan (ADP) for Radio Island.” It was approved by a task force appointed by North Carolina Gov. James G. Martin. Participants represented local governments and appropriate departments of state government.
“As part of its study of the Radio Island issue, the task force also oversaw a study of rail transportation problems associated with the movement of large quantities of bulk goods through the SPA (State Ports Authority).”
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“A study of the problem by the N.C. Department of Transportation concluded that the movement of in excess of 3 million tons of coal per year through Morehead City would cause serious delays and interruptions to the community that simply were not acceptable.”
The county planning commission responded by recommending that any port development on Radio Island require a “special use permit.” The SPA would, therefore, guarantee that any proposed industrial use “will not materially endanger the public health, public safety, adjacent water and air resources or environment.”
Further, the proposed use “will not substantially injure the value of adjoining or abutting property” and “will be in harmony with the area in which it is to be located.”
Additional language in the document reinforced the vital importance of prohibiting any project that could potentially “have an adverse environmental impact on water and air resources.”
An editorial from the Oct. 4, 2023, edition of the Carteret County News-Times reminds readers that in recent memory there have been at least three occasions when “the Ports Authority has attempted to foist expansion opportunities that were explosive, noxious and controversial, including an anhydrous ammonia facility, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage operation (2000-01) and most recently, a sulfur smelting operation (2011).”
“In each of these cases the port faced aggressive reaction from the county.” Some folks were downright “Sufur-ious” and had lime-green T-shirts printed up.
“In the case of the smelter facility, which was to be located right next door to the Morehead City Yacht Basin, the public outcry was so significant that Gov. Beverly Perdue conducted a press conference in one of the port warehouses to apologize for what was a surreptitious effort to build the smelter,” the editorial continued.
“The ports authority had intentionally avoided any public notice about the smelter facility and was only stopped once a final notice was mailed to the only contiguous property owner, which happened to be the yacht basin.”
Looking forward: Without question, the Morehead City port is a valuable asset in the state’s economic development toolbox.
For years, Don Kirkman, the county’s former economic developer (now retired), tried his best to broker a workable deal for the best use of the port’s underutilized property on Radio Island.
Kirkman frequently remarked that Morehead City is the most favorable port on the East Coast when it comes to “accessibility and convenience, located only four miles from open ocean with an authorized depth of 45 feet.”
Maybe the hangup is the “industrial use” requirement tag that the Ports Authority has been clinging to all these years.
Port-community relations: a bit of a checkered past
Some 25 years ago, scientists at the North Carolina Coastal Federation called attention to a troubling situation regarding utilization of the Morehead City port.
In 2001, the Coastal Federation, under the leadership of Executive Director Todd Miller, addressed the North Carolina State Ports Authority’s propensity for sneaky behavior…and Carteret County’s need to keep a watchful eye.
The article said: “Local citizens have been wary of hazardous substances ever since the USNS Potomac exploded on Sept. 26, 1961.”
The 640-foot tanker, carrying 101,000 gallons of aviation gasoline and JP-5 jet fuel, caught fire while discharging its load to storage tanks on Radio Island. A news account said: “Black smoke and flames boiled more than 1,000 feet into the air.”
The Coastal Federation advanced the calendar to the spring of 1978 when “Gov. Jim Hunt flew to the coast to make a surprise announcement that a Texas firm planned to build the second largest liquid propane gas (LPG) facility in the nation on Radio Island.” The news was received with community outrage.
“There had been no public discussion of the question before Hunt’s announcement here. At least one local mayor had no idea why Hunt was in town before he joined the governor on the podium.”
John Costlow, who was director of the Duke Marine Laboratory at the time, uncovered research data contained within a 1978 U.S. General Accounting Office report:
“Liquefied energy gas storage tanks, ships, trucks and railroad cars were dangerously vulnerable to catastrophic fires and explosions that could result from accident or sabotage. Large storage facilities for LPG and liquefied natural gas (LNG) should be built away from populated areas.”
The Coastal Federation article commented: “That fall, Costlow hosted a public forum that drew more than 300 concerned citizens to the Duke Marine Lab auditorium to discuss the hazards of LPG. Shortly thereafter, Gov. Hunt withdrew his support for the project, and it was never built.”
The Coastal Federation said: “Citizens are generally left out of economic development decisions. While state law provides citizens with access to public records…the law draws the line at industrial development projects that are considered to be confidential. Until the surprise announcement is made that a new industry is coming to town, citizens are kept in the dark.”
“When kept out of a process that affects their community, citizens often become agitated. Environmental issues and community concerns are often glossed over in the site selection process.”
The Coastal Federation sent forth this message in 2001:
“Attracting industry to an ecologically sensitive region like eastern North Carolina requires extra care. The environmental suitability of an industrial site must be evaluated in advance, not after the surprise announcement has been made.”
“And citizens need to be involved every step of the way when major industrial projects are being planned for their hometowns. It would make the process go smoother for citizens and economic developers alike.”
Is anyone at the Ports Authority listening? They should be.
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