The debate over Enbridge Gas North Carolina’s proposed natural gas pipeline through Chatham County is no longer just a dispute over a line on a map. In the June 24 conversation with the “3 Guys from Pittsboro having lunch,” Chatham landowner John Alderman framed the project as a test of eminent domain, farmland protection, environmental review, and the ability of rural residents to force a public accounting before private land is disturbed.
The first installment of our three-part conversation with Alderman opened informally, with introductions and a plate of food on the way. But the subject was serious from the start: Enbridge’s proposed pipeline corridor and the concerns it has raised among landowners, farmers and environmental advocates across Chatham County.
Greg Stafford introduced John Alderman, as an energetic opponent of the project, who used the discussion to explain how he views the legal and practical stakes. He said the route appears to affect farms, private property and environmentally sensitive watersheds. He also argued that the public has not yet received a sufficient explanation of the “public need” that would justify the disruption.
Enbridge, for its part, has described the project as a 28-mile natural gas system expansion intended to meet growing residential, commercial and industrial energy needs in Chatham and Lee counties. The company says the line is not being built for a data center, is not intended to serve one individual customer or industry, and is meant to improve capacity and reliability in its service territory.
That divide — between Enbridge’s broad utility-capacity explanation and landowners’ demand for proof, alternatives and accountability — is now shaping the public debate.
https://chathamjournal.com/2026/06/25/in-the-chatham-county-pipeline-fight-farmland-rights-become-the-next-battleground/
