Spring fishing: N.C.‘s hatchery-supported trout waters open Friday, April 5

Press release Hatchery-Supported Trout Waters Open April 5 RALEIGH, N.C. (March 21, 2014) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open approximately 1,000 miles of hatchery-supported trout waters in 25 western counties at 7 a.m. on April 5. The season will run through Feb. 28, 2015. While fishing on hatchery-supported trout waters, anglers can harvest […]

WLOS: Judge denies Duke Energy request to stay decision on coal ash

Previously reported by the Associated Press North Carolina regulators said Friday they have asked a judge to withdraw a proposed settlement that would have allowed Duke Energy to resolve environmental violations by paying a $99,000 fine with no requirement that the $50 billion company clean up its pollution. From the Associated Press, as reported on […]

N.C. agency partners with EPA on joint approach to coal-ash cleanup

Press release from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources State environmental agency, EPA to pursue joint approach to coal ash clean-up RALEIGH – The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state intend to pursue a joint approach to an enforceable resolution of […]

C-T: Duke Energy letter proposes options for coal-ash removal

A letter from Duke Energy to state environmental officials, obtained by the Asheville Citizen-Times, outlines various proposals for dealing with coal ash stored at various plants in North Carolina, including one near Asheville. The letter, says the Citizen-Times, includes shuttering the plant as one possibility. Other proposals include switching to dry ash instead of wet […]

After Dan River spill, Carolina Public Press takes a closer look at Asheville’s coal-ash ponds

On Feb. 3, a busted pipe spilled thousands of gallons of coal-ash slurry into the Dan River near Eden, N.C. Asheville-based Carolina Public Press takes a closer look at the potential problems for Duke Energy’s local power plant, where about 91 acres of coal ash is held back by 90-feet-tall dams. The coal-ash ponds, built […]

N.C. DENR orders Duke Energy to stop discharges from second pipe

Press release from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources DENR orders Duke Energy to halt discharges from second pipe under coal ash basin RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered Duke Energy late Tuesday afternoon to immediately halt discharges of material from a leaking 36-inch stormwater pipe beneath the […]

State gives Duke Energy 10 days to develop plan, schedule to fix pipe at Eden plant

Press release from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources has given Duke Energy 10 days to develop a plan and schedule to fix a leaking 36-inch stormwater pipe beneath a coal ash basin in Eden where a separate stormwater pipe broke and caused a spill […]

DENR investigating wastewater discharge at Duke Energy coal-ash site on Dan River

Press release From the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources State environmental agency investigating wastewater discharge at site of coal ash spill RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources is investigating a discharge of wastewater to the Dan River from an emergency piping system Duke Energy installed Feb. 9 in response […]

AP: Feds launch investigation of NC environmental agency

From the Associated Press and the Asheville Citizen-Times Federal authorities have launched a criminal investigation into North Carolina’s environmental agency following a massive coal ash spill on the Dan River. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Raleigh issued a grand jury subpoena demanding records from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. They include […]

N.C. health agency posts warnings for Dan River after coal-ash spill

Press release from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Raleigh, N.C. – The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health is issuing two health advisories related to the recent coal ash spill in the Dan River in Eden. The advisories address concerns associated with human exposure and consumption […]

Duke Energy says it has plugged pipe that leaked 82,000 tons of coal ash into Dan River

From the Charlotte Observer Feb. 9, 2014 Duke Energy says it has installed a permanent plug in the leaking [48-inch] stormwater pipe that dumped [82,000] tons of coal ash and wastewater into the Dan River about 130 miles northeast of Charlotte. … The pipe is about 850 feet long from the point where it broke […]

N.C. officials say that arsenic levels were higher after Duke Energy coal-ash spill

Following a week of differing reports on toxin levels in the Dan River after about 80,000 tons of coal ash spilled out of a wastewater pipe at Duke Energy’s Eden, N.C., plant, North Carolina officials clarified on Sunday that arsenic levels had indeed exceeded recommended levels downstream of the spill. But, say Department of Environment […]

Carolina Public Press: Calls for action as officials track Duke Energy’s coal-ash spill

Asheville-based media nonprofit Carolina Public Press has been tracking coal-ash issues closely for the past year. In the latest news, officials and environmentalists are calling for swift action in dealing with an 82,000-ton spill of the toxic material into the Dan River. The spill may be the third-largest in U.S. history. From Carolina Public Press […]