Environmental showdown looms with Alcoa

The Lexington Dispatch
Editorial

It seemed like it was only a matter of time.
What once seemed like standard procedure for Alcoa to renews its 50-year operating license has now turned into an environmental group’s dog and pony show, with the global corporation now playing the part of “misleading” clown.
Earlier this week, an attorney for the Yadkin Riverkeeper notified the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based company that it intended on filing a lawsuit challenging the company on its release of cyanide and PCBs from its smelting operation into Badin Lake. The lawsuit would not be filed if Alcoa addresses the cleanup issue but the company has maintained that it hasn’t polluted the water and rarely exceeded the amount of chemicals they were permitted to release into the water.
It won’t be the first lawsuit the company has faced, nor the last. But Alcoa Power Generating Inc. is already standing on shaky ground, thanks in part to the company misleading state water officials on its application and supporting materials for a 401 water quality certification. That led the N.C. Division of Water Quality to pull the company’s May 2009 certification. The company is fighting to have its certification reinstated, which is needed before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can make a final verdict on another operating license for the four hydroelectric dams and projects on the Yadkin River.
Lawsuits are filed everyday across the state, many against large corporations. But with the success record, reputation and support of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other environmental and water activists, Dean Naujoks, the Yadkin Riverkeeper, and his staff seem to have done their homework before making such claims that they believe will hold up in a court of law.
The creation of the Uwharrie Regional Resources Commission, which includes former Davidson County Schools superintendent and Davidson County Commissioner Dr. Max Walser, state legislators, and even Gov. Bev Perdue will only continue to pressure the company and lobby FERC to either force Alcoa to make some drastic changes or not be allowed to operate the dams at all.
The courtroom drama that some may have hoped for may never happen. Many lawsuits are either dismissed, dropped or settled (without public disclosure) before they reach trial status. The next several months may make or break Alcoa’s bid for another 50 year license and the best bet for the company is to be transparent with its data and honest with the public.