Governor McCrory released draft legislation to address North Carolina’s growing problem with toxic coal ash waste, an issue that has become urgent after the February 2nd spill of 39,000 tons of the toxic sludge into North Carolina’s Dan River. Gov. McCrory’s proposal is woefully inadequate, and represents yet another gift to Duke Energy from a governor who was employed by the company for nearly 30 years. Help us tell legislators that the public wants real action on coal ash, not another sweetheart deal for Duke Energy The Governor’s proposal is alarming in a number of ways, but most disturbing is the similarity to Duke Energy’s desired plan for coal ash ponds in NC: “All this is doing is attempting to put into law what Duke wants to do anyway, which is leave in place its ash at different sites where it continues to be a risk and continues to threaten communities,” said Frank Holleman, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.1 The Governor’s plan barely creates any deadlines requiring Duke Energy to clean up its coal ash ponds, and would allow Duke to leave the ash in place at most of its sites. The bill gifts Duke with an amazing amount of leniency in determining what actions to take, and the few requirements outlined in the bill are grossly inadequate. Duke wants to simply cap the top of many of these toxic ponds, leaving them to sit precariously close to our waterways. But this will not protect North Carolina from groundwater contamination, toxic coal ash leaks, or catastrophic failure. McCrorys proposal is another coal ash sham, continuing a trend of endless delay and scarce action. North Carolina’s communities threatened by these toxic coal ash ponds deserve to be protected, but McCrory seems more interested in protecting his former employer.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 12:05:16 +0000
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