A state of North Carolina representative has introduced a bill that he hopes may halt the move by Hugo Neu to build a large scrap recycling facility in Brunswick County.
Rep. Bonner Stiller, (R-Brunswick) introduced House Bill 939 several weeks ago. The bill is presently in the House Finance Committee. If it passes through the committee it will then go before the full House, and then continue to the state senate.
The goal of the bill was to reverse the annexation of a large plot of land by Navassa, a small city in Brunswick County. The bill would then return the land to Brunswick County.
Navassa had rezoned the large, 750-acre site when it annexed the property as heavy industry, which would allow Hugo Neu to build the facility.
However, Brunswick County would be more inclined to zone the plot of land as rural, which would require a company to apply for a special use permit before going further with the project.
The net result would be for the county commissioners to vote on whether or not to allow the construction of the Hugo Neu facility, rather than the town of Navassa to vote on the project.
When Hugo Neu first approach the area about siting a facility in the area Brunswick County Commissioners, who all have come out in opposition to the project.
Rep. Stiller adds that the county is a fast growing part of the state, with a thriving tourism industry. This industry could be greatly damaged by the creation of a facility at the front of the county that would detract from the rest of the area.
According to Stiller Hugo Neu had also requested zoning that would allow the company to have piles of material as high as 300 feet.
Local press reports note that the North Carolina Division of Waste Management is reviewing Hugo Neu’s permit application. Plans by Hugo Neu are for the company to ship shredded material from its operations in the Northeast to Navassa for additional processing. The auto fluff left over from the processing would then be landfilled.