Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
RES - 2025 - 008 ; 4- b ; 1 /21 /25 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> RESOLUTION REGARDING AN AIR PERMIT APPLICATION REQUEST FROM THE <br /> UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL TO THE NORTH <br /> CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY <br /> WHEREAS , The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC ) currently holds a Title V <br /> air quality permit for its cogeneration facility to burn coal and natural gas in boilers to <br /> produce electricity and steam ; and <br /> WHEREAS , UNC has applied for a modification of its air permit to allow for the combustion <br /> of engineered pelletized fuel in its facility at 575 West Cameron Avenue , Chapel Hill , which <br /> is within Orange County ; and <br /> WHEREAS, in 2023 Orange County adopted its Climate Action Plan , setting ambitious goals <br /> to transition to clean , renewable energy, mitigate the impacts of climate change and <br /> ensure tong-term environmental protection and quality of life ; and <br /> WHEREAS , while the Orange County Board of Commissioners appreciates UNC 's efforts to <br /> decrease greenhouse gas emissions and transition away from burning coal , we strongly <br /> encourage a transition to clean , efficient technologies that do not have the potential to <br /> impact human and environmental health ; and <br /> WHEREAS , UNC 's cogeneration facility is surrounded by historically Black neighborhoods <br /> where issues of environmental justice are of major and long- standing concern ; and <br /> WHEREAS , these neighborhoods are also home to hundreds of UNC students ; and <br /> WHEREAS , the UNC Hospitals , which treats a constant stream of vulnerable patients , <br /> stands only 3 , 000 feet away from this facility; and <br /> WHEREAS , all of these communities would be disproportionately burdened bythe release <br /> of toxic substances through the burning of the proposed waste pellets ; and <br />