The state environmental agency will host a public information session in Eden on July 27 to inform residents of Duke Energy’s plans to construct and operate a new lined landfill to safely store coal ash at its Dan River Steam Station in Rockingham County.
Duke Energy has applied with the state agency for a solid waste permit for the proposed landfill, which would be constructed with a protective liner and would store coal ash currently contained in an unlined basin on the same Dan River facility property.
As part of the permit review process, the McCrory administration is completing an environmental justice analysis to examine the potential impacts the proposed coal ash landfill could have on people living within one mile of the project. The analysis aims to protect low income and minority communities from disproportionate impacts due to the project. The state agency has scheduled the July 27 meeting to share information about the proposed landfill with the community and address any concerns people may have.
“We are carefully studying this project to determine if people in the nearby community would be impacted by the proposed landfill,” said Tom Reeder, assistant secretary for the state environmental agency. “We want to address any concerns people may have about the proposed landfill and discuss with the community the protective requirements outlined in the permit. We also want to hear from the community to see if there are any issues we should consider before making a final decision.”
The agency will host the public information session from 6-7:30 p.m. July 27 in the Eden Room at the Eden Town Hall, 308 East Stadium Drive.
The information session will give residents an opportunity to discuss the project with the state environmental officials who are responsible for considering Duke Energy’s landfill permit application. The draft permit would require Duke Energy to construct the landfill with a protective liner and a system to collect and treat wastewater. It would also require Duke Energy to conduct regular environmental monitoring around the landfill and correct any problems when they are identified.
State officials will have maps and other information available to the public.
The state agency is also reaching out to local officials, including the Eden mayor and Rockingham County Commissioners, about the information session and the state’s study of the project.
The state environmental department is conducting similar reviews of each new site where Duke Energy proposes to store coal ash in landfills and is sharing its findings with the EPA Office of Civil Rights, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and its North Carolina Advisory Committee.