Community Members Fight Proposed Asphalt Plant

Residents of Glendale Springs, N.C., are speaking out against a proposed asphalt plant that Appalachian Materials, LLC, intends to build in their town. According to the permit application, the plant would produce 300,000 tons of asphalt per year.

A website started by Protect Our Fresh Air, the Ashe County chapter of The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, lists concerns from community members, including the air quality for Camp New Hope, a haven for terminally ill children that is close to the plant site, and the traffic from the plant hurting the town’s tourist economy.

Opponents are raising money to fight the proposal in court and are circulating an online petition.

— Meredith Abercrombie