Enviva Biomass Facility Meets Opposition

By Rachel Pressley

In December 2018, an Enviva wood-pellet processing plant is slated to open in Richmond County, N.C., next to the town of Dobbins Heights.

Enviva’s website suggests that their wood pellets create an energy-dense fuel that emits much less sulphur oxide and carbon than other fossil fuels.

The Dogwood Alliance, an Asheville-based environmental organization, opposes the building of another plant for an industry that they say is speeding up climate change. Over 50 acres of forests are destroyed daily in North Carolina and South Carolina because of logging for biomass pellets that are exported to Europe.

A video produced by the group shows residents protesting the building of the new plant with signs saying, “Stop Enviva” and, “Say NO to Enviva in Richmond County.” The residents say the plant will cause pollution, increasing the risk of breathing problems and other health issues already in the community due to different plants nearby.

After 20 years, Letcher County prison proposal is still alive, though obstacles remain

A $605 million proposal for a federal prison on a former strip mine site in Letcher County, Kentucky, championed by U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, refuses to die, despite local opposition, a lack of support from the executive branch and numerous other obstacles.

Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Erwin, Tennessee. Photo by Abby Hassler

The Washout and Rebuild

For nearly two years, residents of Unicoi County, Tennessee, have had to make do without a hospital after Hurricane Helene destroyed the rural hospital. Ballad Health, which owns the hospital, broke ground on a new location — in another floodplain — in August 2026.