August 31, 2016
Contaminated wastewater leaking from several of Duke Energy’s coal ash pits would be permitted instead of eliminated if the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) and EPA approve two draft permits that the NC Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has proposed for the Roxboro and Mayo plants in Person County.
On Friday, DEQ issued a notice of public hearing and public comment period on draft wastewater permits for Duke Energy’s coal ash pits at its Roxboro and Mayo plants. Changes made to the 2014 Coal Ash Management Act this past session that were championed by the McCrory administration mean that coal ash pits at these two sites could be capped and left in place instead of excavated as required at seven other coal plants. Coal ash ponds classified by DEQ as low risk will have until the end of 2029 to close - potentially a long time for seeps to continue contaminating water.
"All of Duke Energy's coal ash pits are leaking - that's a simple fact that the McCrory administration has acknowledged," said Molly Diggins, state director of the NC Sierra Club. "The changes proposed by McCrory's Department of Environmental Quality would allow illegal discharges of contaminated wastewater to continue for years to come. Where is the concern for the safety and health of nearby communities and waterways?"
"The McCrory administration appears, once again, to be trying to relieve Duke Energy of its legal obligations under the Clean Water Act, rather than holding the company accountable for its pollution."
Background:
The 2014 Coal Ash Management Act required Duke Energy to identify all seeps and unpermitted discharges at leaking coal ash sites and submit a proposal for assessing the water quality impact of those discharges by Dec. 31, 2014. Duke Energy submitted the information as required, but DEQ has yet to approve it.
The assessment results are needed to determine whether the seeps or other discharges are reaching public waters and in what volume.
"DEQ would be rejecting its responsibility to the public if it attempts to allow Duke Energy to skirt environmental regulations and common sense," Diggins said. "Furthermore, permitting pollution at these sites -- which is plainly illegal under the Clean Water Act -- would set an ominous precedent for future permitting decisions at the other coal ash sites that Duke Energy must clean up."