Melissa Williams, melissa.williams@sierraclub.org
RALEIGH, N.C. — Duke Energy today announced it plans to appeal orders by Gov. Roy Cooper’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to excavate all of its remaining coal ash impoundments in North Carolina and move the toxic waste to lined storage.
On April 1, DEQ said that “after conducting a rigorous scientific review of Duke Energy’s proposals for Allen, Belews, Cliffside/Rogers, Marshall, Mayo and Roxboro facilities, and conducting public listening sessions in impacted communities, DEQ has determined excavation of all six sites is the only closure option that meets the requirements of Coal Ash Management Act to best protect public health. The coal ash must be disposed of in a lined landfill.”
Coal ash is the waste product from burning coal and contains some of the most dangerous known toxic chemicals on earth, such as arsenic, lead and mercury, which raise the risk for cancer, heart disease and stroke, and can inflict permanent brain damage on children.
Yet, for decades, Duke has stored coal ash in unlined, earthen ponds where these dangerous toxins leach into nearby groundwater.
“Gov. Cooper and DEQ made the best science-based decision to protect our communities from the devastating consequences of leaving this dangerous toxic waste next to our waterways,” said Dave Rogers, senior representative for the Beyond Coal campaign in North Carolina. “Duke's claim that the appeal is in the interest of its ratepayers rings hollow given the company's intention to profit off its cleanup costs. And the ratepayers Duke pretends to care so much about include the same people whose waters have been polluted by coal ash.
“This decision by Duke further highlights the need to stop making the problem worse by continuing to burn coal at Duke’s dirty, expensive coal plants. We’ll continue to fight for that outcome alongside affected communities, who have stood strong in the face of this daily threat to their air and water for decades.”
“The Coal Ash Management Act gives DEQ the authority to decide what coal ash pit closure plans will be. Duke was never promised a cap-in-place decision, but they assumed they would get what they wanted,” said Amy Brown, who lives adjacent to Duke’s Allen coal-burning plant in Belmont. She and her family had to use bottled water to drink, cook and bathe for several years because coal ash pollution was seeping into the groundwater.
“If they were guaranteed to be allowed to leave the coal ash in unlined pits, then why was there a public comment period before a decision from DEQ? And now that Duke hasn’t gotten their way, they’re acting like a 2-year-old who’s been told they can’t have candy in the checkout line because of their bad behavior. This huge corporation is nothing more than a crybaby.
“I had told my kids, ‘there are plenty of things you’ll have to fight for in the future, but this is one thing you won't have to do.’ And not just my kids, but every kid in the neighborhood.
“DEQ’s decision is the best way for us to have true closure—not just the community, but also the company—to move forward.”
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The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.