Environmental activists voice concerns about plans to build Buc-ee's in Mebane

Activists gathered in Mebane on Tuesday to speak out against an incoming Buc-ee’s that would be the gas station’s first location in North Carolina.  

The popular super-sized gas station and convenience store is set to be built on 34 acres along Trollingwood Hawfields Road near Interstate 40 and Interstate 85. Construction could be complete by 2027.

On Tuesday, a group called the Seven Directions of Service and other speakers shared a new report about the environmental, economic and health impacts of the gas station. 

“This is more than a story about a gas station,” Rania Masri, co-director of the NC Environmental Justice Network, said. “This is a story about public health [and] environmental justice.”

Multiple speakers voiced concern about toxic pollution from gas stations and idling cars putting neighboring parks, homes and schools at risk.

Air pollution was also discussed, with one speaker estimating the proposed Mebane Buc-ce’s will bring up to 2,000 cars per hour to the area.

“This is not just an inconvenience, this is a public health crisis,” Masri said.

Others were concerned about the amount of underground gas tanks the Buc-ee’s will require.

“We do not need more toxic infrastructure,” another speaker said. “We need clean water, breathable air, and communities where health and dignity are non-negotiable.”

Seven Directions of Service, which is indigenous-led, works to protect area considered the ancestral home of North Carolina-based tribes. On Tuesday, speakers said the location for the new Buc-ee’s will be built on sacred ground recognized by the non-profit World Monuments Fund.

Mebane Mayor Ed Hooks has said the Buc-ee’s location could open by early 2027.

County leaders have said the Buc-ee’s will bring “generous tax revenue” to the area, but non-supporters have also raised concern about traffic becoming an issue.

Buc-ee’s is known for its hot food bars serving brisket sandwiches, salads, chicken and more, its clean bathrooms and its large retail shop. It has been called the Disney World of gas stations.