FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2025
CONTACT: Kasey Kinsella, kasey@7directionsofservice.com ; Rania Masri, rania@ncejn.org
New Report Exposes Buc-ee’s Risks to Health & Local Economies
MEBANE, NC – Buc-ee’s Burden: How Mega Gas Stations Hurt Community Health and Wealth is a groundbreaking new report authored by Lewis Raven Wallace, commissioned by 7 Directions of Service (7DS) and the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN).
The first four sections of the report detail the primary concerns raised by community members and health experts, and alarming findings related to gas stations and mega gas stations, focusing on Buc-ee’s threats to: Community Health, Local Economies, Taxpayers and Local Elections. The report also discusses several stories of organized opposition to gas station and mega gas station projects, and includes a practical toolkit with resources and community organizing tips. Buc-ee’s Burden is meant to serve as a guide for communities–as well as decision makers–facing mega gas station proposals in North Carolina and nationally.
To view and download copies of the report please visit: NCEJN
“The Mebane City Council approved Buc-ee’s to pave over a sacred cultural site of our Occaneechi Saponi community, against the advice of their own planning board,” said Dr. Crystal Cavalier, Director & Co-Founder of 7 Directions of Service. “Health, air and water experts warned against the 120-pump gas station near youth facilities and low-income neighborhoods. Buc-ee’s Burden expands on these concerns and more, and we are grateful to get it into the hands of others defending their health, environment and local economies against the rise of mega gas stations.”
“The Buc-ee’s project in Mebane threatens community health, democracy, and the land itself,” said Dr. Rania Masri, Co-Director of the NC Environmental Justice Network. “As exposed in this report, Buc-ee’s 31-acre mega gas station would consume an estimated 23,000 gallons of water daily, sit across from a mobile home community, and store fuel in quantities that pose risks to drinking water if leaks occur. This report strengthens our work to ensure that future planning centers community voices, respects Indigenous heritage, and advances a just and sustainable future, rather than continuing on a polluting, discriminatory, and costly pathway.”
“Both CAR and NOTRA are exceedingly grateful to 7 Directions of Service and the NC Environmental Justice Network for their well-researched, authoritative report on the concerns residents have regarding the siting of gas stations so close to low wealth communities, including communities of color,” said Don Cavellini, Co-Chair of Coalition against Racism (CAR) and a member of the North Of The River Association (NOTRA). “We, in Greenville, also, are fighting a RaceTrac gas station from sitting 250 feet from people’s homes and 1000 feet from Wellcome Middle School.”
“The public might not be aware of it, but there’s a substantial body of scientific research on the health hazards presented by mega gas stations like Buc-ee’s,” said Sue Sturgis, an environmental journalist and energy policy researcher based in Raleigh, North Carolina. “‘Buc-ee’s Burden’ breaks important ground by consolidating this research and presenting it in a way that’s accessible to the average person.”
Buc-ee’s Burden Press Conference
WHEN: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 9 a.m. EST
WHERE: Outside Mebane City Hall, 106 E Washington St, Mebane, NC, 27302. The event will also be livestreamed via 7 Directions of Service Instagram page, @7directionsofservice & NCEJN’s instagram page, @ncej.network.
WHAT: Press briefing on the findings of a new report, Buc-ee’s Burden: How Mega Gas Stations Hurt Community Health and Wealth.
WHO: The following experts will speak & be available for interviews:
- Rania Masri, Co-Director of the NC Environmental Justice Network
- Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck, Co-Founder of 7 Directions of Service
- Coda Cavalier, Youth Director of 7 Directions of Service
- Don Cavellini, Co-Chair of Coalition against Racism (CAR) and a member of the North Of The River Association (NOTRA)
- Del Ward, Community Organizer
- Sue Sturgis, Environmental Journalist and Energy Policy Researcher
Reporters will be able to ask questions following the presentation.
Hard copies of the report will also be available.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
About 7 Directions of Service
7 Directions of Service (7DS) is an Indigenous-led collective rooted in environmental justice and community organizing, operating on the ancestral homelands of the Occaneechi-Saponi in rural North Carolina. Our mission is to protect Sacred Places, advocate for the legal recognition of Rights of Nature, and establish a land, language, and cultural center grounded in traditional Yesah teachings. For more information, visit 7directionsofservice.com.
About North Carolina Environmental Justice Network
North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN) is a grassroots, people of color-led coalition of community organizations and their supporters who work with economically marginalized communities and people of color on issues of climate, environmental, racial, and social injustice. For more information, visit www.ncejn.org.
