Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) sent a letter Tuesday to North Carolina Governor Mike Easley, requesting a meeting involving local leaders from western North Carolina – deemed the “IBT Task Force” – to discuss stopping the proposed Interbasin Transfer (IBT). Congressman McHenry organized the task force to fight the IBT proposal. The meeting request is Congressman McHenry’s latest initiative to stop the proposed plan, which could shift up to 36 million gallons of water per day from the Catawba River Basin into Concord and Kannapolis’ Rocky River Basin.

“The IBT proposal must be stopped, no exceptions,” Congressman McHenry said. “Along with our local elected officials, I am committed to pulling the plug on this proposal, which would not only seriously impact our lakes, but also our prospects for future economic growth in the region. The economic initiatives we’ve implemented in recent years will be greatly affected by a lack of water – less water means fewer economic development and opportunities in the decades to come.”

Congressman McHenry initiated this meeting request as part of his ongoing strategy – which began in December 2005 – to challenge the IBT’s authorization. Apart from Congressman McHenry and Governor Easley, the IBT Task Force meeting would involve: Burke County Commissioner Wayne Abele, Lincoln County Commissioner Tom Anderson, City of Lenoir Mayor David Barlow, Catawba County Commissioner Kitty Barnes, State Representative Mitch Gillespie, City of Valdese Mayor James Hatley, Caldwell County Commissioner Faye Higgins, State Senator Keith Presnell, and City of Hickory Mayor Rudy Wright.

“The public meetings were productive,” Congressman McHenry said, “because it got everyone in our area on the same page – our families, our neighbors and our coworkers. As chief executive of the state, the governor has the final authority on this proposal. Now it’s time to take our case directly to Raleigh – it’s time to hit the road.”

On September 7th, Congressman McHenry sent a letter regarding his concerns over the IBT plan to all members of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) as well as Phil Fragapane at the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. McHenry cited several alarming aspects to the plan that should be considered in the approval process.

“There is substantial data that indicates the potential harm for communities upstream of the IBT could be far greater than the benefit realized by the targeted communities,” said Congressman McHenry in his letter to the EMC. “The IBT proposal also fails to address the fact that the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin already has a larger drainage source than the Catawba River Basin. There also appears to be some question as to whether or not the targeted communities are equipped to take full advantage of the increase water flow the IBT would create,” McHenry added.

The text of Congressman McHenry’s letter to Governor Easley is below:

September 18, 2006
The Honorable Mike Easley
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

Dear Governor Easley,

I am requesting a meeting to discuss the proposed transfer of water from the Catawba River Basin for the purpose of meeting water usage demands in the Concord and Kannapolis area. Along with mayors and local leaders in the Catawba River Basin, I would appreciate a chance to sit down and discuss our concerns about the transfer and ask that the Environmental Management Commission move carefully and deliberately in this matter to avoid expanding the problem the IBT seeks to resolve.

While a number of public meetings have been held on this issue, I have additional concerns on the matter. The key to maintaining a sufficient and sustainable water supply is good planning. Many of the water shortage issues we face today are the result of poor planning in the past. There appears to be a credible argument that the IBT plan, in an effort to mitigate past mistakes, is itself a mistake on a larger scale. I believe it is fair to say the decision makers in this process will and should be held accountable by the public if we are trying to figure out solutions in 10 years to shortages caused by the IBT.

Please contact my office to set up a meeting at your earliest possible convenience to discuss this important issue to the communities in the Catawba Valley area. I appreciate your help on this matter.

Sincerely,

Patrick McHenry
Member of Congress

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