State Sen. Tom Apodaca told the Mills River Town Council Thursday night that he and legislators are on a third draft of a bill that will be immediately introduced when the North Carolina General Assembly returns to session on May 14, according to the Hendersonville Times-News.
Apodaca, R-Henderson, said he wanted to give the council an update on the removal of coal ash at Duke Energy’s Lake Julian plant.
Apodaca said “What this bill does do is that it mandates that Lake Julian and Cliffside, which are the two active coal plants still on the grid for Duke Energy, that those ponds would be closed and removed within five years,” Apodaca said. “We may come back on that (the time frame). We’re trying to get a realistic look at how quickly we can get it done, from the permitting process to the actual removal of the wet coal ash ponds.”
Apodaca noted that the bill wouldn’t allow wet coal ash to be kept on site or be used for fill somewhere else.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.