Davidson County approves nation’s largest liquefied natural gas facility along Yadkin River over unanimous community opposition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2026  

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Melissa Boughton | [email protected] | 830-481-6901  
Katie Crisp | [email protected] | 919-260-8235 
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LEXINGTON, N.C. — After a hearing that stretched past 11:30 p.m. and drew a standing-room-only crowd in which not a single resident spoke in favor, the Davidson County Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 Monday night to rezone more than 1,600 acres along the Yadkin River for the largest enhanced liquefied natural gas facility in the country.

The vote approves an application from Duke Energy Carolinas and its subsidiary, Piedmont Natural Gas, to build an Energy Reliability Center and LNG storage facility. It converts rural-agricultural land along the banks of the Yadkin River into a heavy-industrial conditional zoning district.  

Residents began arriving at 4:30 p.m., well before the 6 p.m. meeting. They filled the main room and an overflow room, and others sat on the lobby floor of the building listening to an audio stream of the meeting — there were nearly 250 people in total. Public comment didn’t open until 9 p.m., with some residents waiting more than four hours to speak; others had to leave without a chance to speak because of the time. Those who stayed urged the board to weigh the risks to air and water quality and to the local economy. They warned that turning the land over to heavy industry could jeopardize local agriculture and forestry, outdoor recreation and the area’s unique cultural heritage.  

“We came to this hearing with real questions about our water, our air, and our safety if something goes wrong at this plant, and we didn’t get answers,” said Danielle Durham, a local resident. “The commissioners voted to turn our farmland and forests into an industrial gas site anyway. We’re the ones who will have to live next to it.”

“It is not the responsibility of this board to sacrifice the existing land use protections of an agricultural community to accommodate a corporation’s desire,” said Sarah Weschler, a nearby resident of Davie County. “A corporation’s size, influence, and resources should not buy it a different set of rules.” 

Commissioners Tripp Kester, Chris Elliott, and Matt Mizell voted against the rezoning. One pointed to the county’s responsibility for good land stewardship. Another warned that the project would open the door to more industrial development in the rural area, and the third cited the community’s overwhelming opposition in person and in direct communication outside the meeting. Karen Watford, Todd Yates, Steve Shell, and Steve Shook voted in favor of the LNG facility.

The decision comes just two months after the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) denied Duke Energy’s bid to expand its gas infrastructure in Richmond County. In that September ruling, regulators found that Duke had failed to prove the expansion was necessary.  

“The PNG reps can’t even answer your questions tonight,” said Tai Coates-Wedde, a resident of Davidson County, at the meeting. “This was an open book test, and they failed it as far as I’m concerned, in front of you, in front of all the residents of Davidson County and everybody else who has come to hold them accountable for it.”

Statewide organizations and local residents have sounded the alarm about the massive LNG complex’s impacts on the local environment, public health, and the region’s economic future. Ahead of the hearing, Southern Coalition for Social Justice sent a letter to the Davidson County Board of Commissioners on behalf of Clean Water for North Carolina, Appalachian Voices, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the Yadkin Riverkeeper and CleanAIRE NC. The letter laid out the groups’ concerns about the project and its incompatibility with the site. It urged commissioners to allow more time for a thorough review and for meaningful public participation. 

“We are deeply disappointed by the decision to approve this rezoning application,” said Crystal Norford, Environmental Organizer and Researcher at Clean Water for North Carolina. “With this decision, Davidson County leaders have fallen short on their duty to preserve and protect water, air and historic resources. We will continue supporting residents in the fight to protect this region from a dirty energy complex that would value data center energy demand more than the impact of higher energy bills, toxic air pollution, and harm to the Yadkin River.” 

“This decision puts the health of the Yadkin River and the communities that depend on it at risk by supporting a massive, polluting methane gas infrastructure buildout that would forever alter the river and the rural and historic character of Davidson County,” said Nicole Eastman, Yadkin Riverkeeper. “We will continue fighting alongside community members to protect the Yadkin River and the right to a clean and safe environment.” 

“Toxic air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from this facility threaten the health of our communities and our state’s climate future,” said Andrew Whiteman, Senior Policy & Advocacy Manager at CleanAIRE NC. “Local leaders must recognize that fossil fuel power generation carries significant health and environmental costs — burdens that ultimately fall on the residents they are responsible for protecting.”

The Davidson LNG complex is one of many projects in Duke Energy’s coordinated push to expand gas infrastructure across North Carolina. Regional and national experts have raised red flags about the shift toward fossil fuels, citing rising natural gas costs and price volatility. Duke’s natural gas build-out comes as climate and cost-of-living pressures make reliable and renewable energy a priority for North Carolinians.  

Critics say the strategy fails to meet Duke’s affordability, reliability, and clean energy goals for its ratepayers. Monday’s decision greenlights a project that threatens to deepen the affordability and environmental crises facing residents and ratepayers across North Carolina. 

“Duke could have chosen one of its many existing brownfield sites for this giant gas complex, but instead, it chose the beautiful, unspoiled banks of the Yadkin River,” said Shelley Hudson Robbins, Senior Decarbonization Manager at Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “They did not care about the effect this monstrosity would have on Davidson County’s rural character, its citizens or its air quality, and they did not see the Yadkin River as anything more than a resource to be exploited. It is stunning and disappointing that the Davidson County Commission is rolling over to Duke and its subsidiary Piedmont Natural Gas by approving this whiplash of a rezoning request and abandoning its duty to protect its citizens and to be wise stewards.” 

“Duke Energy still hasn’t shown North Carolinians why they need this massive gas complex, and just two months ago, state regulators rejected another Duke gas expansion for that very reason,” said Aiswarya Murali, Counsel for Environmental Justice at SCSJ. “Davidson County residents will live with the risks of this facility on the banks of the Yadkin River, and ratepayers across the state could end up paying for it. We will keep standing with this community as the fight continues.”  

“With last night’s vote, commissioners are turning their back on a vision for the county’s future that prioritizes outdoor recreation, agriculture, tourism and a high quality of life for Davidson County residents,” said Juhi Modi, North Carolina Program Coordinator for Appalachian Voices. “Instead, they are embracing a project that poses far more risks than benefits for residents.”

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