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 and the Charlotte Observer:
Gov. Pat McCrory demanded Thursday that Duke Energy, his former employer, control a coal ash pond spill that has leaked contaminants into the Dan River for five days.
A “very concerned” N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger added to the pressure on Duke, calling for a legislative inquiry into the spill in his hometown of Eden.
Duke, meanwhile, continued to struggle to stop the leak from a broken 48-inch stormwater pipe under the ash pond at its now-retired Dan River power plant.
The Environmental Protection Agency said the up to 82,000 tons of ash dumped into the Dan River on Sunday likely ranks third-highest in the nation’s history.
McCrory traveled to Eden with state environment officials and, his office said, directed Duke to take “all needed measures” to stop the leak so a cleanup can start. …
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