Environmentally Speaking

RALEIGH – State environmental officials have issued key permits that allow Duke Energy to safely dispose of coal ash at its L.V. Sutton Energy Complex in Wilmington.   The state solid waste permit and isolated wetland permit issued last week give Duke Energy approval to start building a double-lined, industrial landfill at the Sutton facility. The on-site industrial landfill will be used to safely dispose of coal ash now stored in unlined ponds and other wastes generated at the Sutton facility.  

Secretary Donald R. van der Vaart presented Thomas Slusser with a certificate this week for completing the department’s North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Program. This presentation was especially noteworthy, as Slusser is not an educator by profession but works in the DEQ Division of Waste Management's Pre-Regulatory Landfill Unit, which is a risk-based program that mitigates the health and environmental risks associated with old municipal landfills.

State environmental officials announced that they will be accepting comment on a proposed consent order between the state environmental deparment and Duke Energy that imposes additional requirements and penalties for seeps from Duke Energy’s Riverbend facility located in Gaston County.  The proposed order, along with the facility’s water discharge permit issued earlier this year, will ensure both continued protection of the environment and ultimate closure of the facility. 

DEQ Secretary Donald R. van der Vaart visited the North Carolina Arboretum recently to award Meghan Baker with a certificate for completing her North Carolina Environmental Education Certification. Baker is an extension agent with Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Service and provides educational outreach to small farmers, youth, and community members in Buncombe County through field-based workshops during the growing season and trainings in the winter.