Several individuals approaching the podium at last week’s Swain County Commission meeting addressed the Duke Energy planned transmission line route and Almond substation along Needmore Road, which, as the most invasive choice, will affect the properties of between 40-45 families.
Impacted residents have largely felt blindsided by the project. Many recount no notice of a September 2025 Duke Energy meeting informing the community of its intentions. Commissioners were similarly briefed in June 2025, but in the weeks and months following, communication was absent from either side.