Coal ash spill could push NC to move more aggressively on environmental threats
WASHINGTON — North Carolina’s massive coal ash spill into the Dan River this month was decades in the making. But for much of that period, the lagoons where ash is stored attracted little attention or regulatory oversight.
In the past five years, that attitude slowly started to change, as it became increasingly clear that Duke Energy’s coal ash pits across the state were leaching toxins into the environment.
The blowout at a Duke lagoon near Eden on Feb. 2 has refocused attention on the power company’s 14 ash storage sites and raised a host of questions about how Duke and state regulators have dealt with an issue that was known to pose serious risks to the environment.
The accident may mark a turning point in the state’s hands-off approach to coal ash storage, which is under limited regulation in North Carolina as well as in other states. If that happens, Duke would likely have to bulldoze its lagoons, where ash soaks in water, and store the material elsewhere.
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/22/3643798/ash-spill-could-push-nc-to-move.html
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