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 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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About Margaret Williams
Editor Margaret Williams first wrote for Xpress in 1994. An Alabama native, she has lived in Western North Carolina since 1987 and completed her Masters of Liberal Arts & Sciences from UNC-Asheville in 2016. Follow me @mvwilliams

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