The state environmental department issued a permit this week that will require Duke Energy to safely dispose of coal ash at the Dan River Steam Station in Eden. The permit allows the company to move forward with plans to build and operate a lined industrial landfill to store coal ash that is now contained in two unlined basins on the same property.
The Dan River facility received federally-approved state permits last year that regulate the removal of water from existing coal ash ponds under strict monitoring by state environmental officials. The top lobbying special interest group in the state is challenging a similar permit at a coal ash facility in Catawba County. The challenge could needlessly delay cleanup efforts and interfere with the requirements of the state’s coal ash law.
“We were pleased to receive federal approval that allows our state to safely regulate the removal of water from coal ash ponds in Catawba County,” said Tom Reeder, assistant secretary of the state environmental department. “It’s hard to understand why these special interest groups are blocking our path toward permanently eliminating the decades-old coal ash problem.”
The state environmental department is moving forward with permanent closure of every Duke Energy coal ash pond and conducting environmental justice reviews before any new coal ash landfills are approved. A copy of the signed Dan River permit can be found here.