McCrory has sharp exchange with reporter over Duke Energy questions
Posted: Feb 14, 2014 1:47 PM EST Updated: Feb 14, 2014 3:08 PM EST
by Dane Huffman
RALEIGH, N.C. -
Gov. Pat McCrory had a sharp exchange with a reporter Friday when pressed
about whether he had any conversations with his former employer, Duke Energy,
about the coal ash spill in North Carolina.
"And I would also like to correct – Secretary Skvarla would like to correct –
some of the information that you stated in your question. I think some of the
premise of your question is totally inaccurate."
Asked in a follow-up if he would disclose whether he had any Duke Energy stock, McCrory said.
"I have stated in my records I have some 401-K and in my original 401-K some Duke Energy value, but in my 14 years as mayor of Charlotte, in my one year as governor, I separate my job as governor [from his investments]," McCrory said.
When a reporter started to ask a follow-up, McCrory quickly held out his arm and responded, Excuse me sir, but you have not been recognized, OK?"
McCrory continued, "I'll be glad to take any other …" At that point, a reporter again began to ask questions.
McCrory said, "Sir, excuse me sir, I told you I'd get John Skvarla back with you and we'd be glad to answer your questions. But it's no time to be disrespectful."
The press conference continued with questions about the Department of Transportation and the storm.
On Tuesday, the Associated Press has reported, Duke Energy said it will begin dredging coal ash out of a North Carolina river as the state's environmental agency moved to scuttle a previously proposed settlement with the company over pollution leaking from waste dumps at its power plants
http://www.wbtv.com/story/24726878/mccrory-has-sharp-exchange-with-reporter-over-duke-energy-questions?clienttype=generic&mobilecgbypass&utm_content=bufferd455e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Duke Energy have been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury about the Feb. 2 coal ash spill in the Dan River, according to company and state officials.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina has opened an “official criminal investigation of a suspected felony” in the matter, according to documents released by DENR.
Duke Energy estimates that 30,000 to 39,000 tons of coal ash spilled into the river after a stormwater pipe broke at its Dan River Steam Station in Eden. The company this week lowered its estimate from 82,000 tons.
DENR was asked to appear before a grand jury in March and produce a range of records and documents related to the steam station, which was shut down in 2012, and the broken storm water pipe.
DENR Communications Director Drew Elliot said the agency will cooperate with the U.S. attorney.
A Duke spokesman confirmed that the company also has been subpoenaed but declined to comment further.
The grand jury will meet March 18-20 in Raleigh, according to the subpoena.
“This is very serious,” said Frank Holleman, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “The United States Department of Justice does not convene a criminal grand jury at the drop of the hat.”
It’s not clear what suspected felony the federal authorities may be investigating.
DENR will have to turn over an extensive list of documents detailing the state’s interactions with Duke and the Dan River Steam Station dating back to 2000, including:
• The station’s pollution discharge permits, which dictate what Duke may release into the Dan River.
• All records relating to the broken stormwater pipe dating back to January 2010. The stormwater pipe runs under one of the station’s coal ash storage basins.
• Correspondences between state environmental officials and Duke Energy;
• Any administrative penalties the company received.
• All information related to inspections conducted at the steam station since 2000.
• Information, including emails, photographs and videos, about any discharges or seepages from any coal ash ponds on the site.
Groundwater monitoring at the site from 2011 to 2013 found the chemicals antimony, arsenic, boron and other contaminants at levels above the state’s groundwater safety standards, according to a lawsuit the state filed against Duke last year.
Environmental activists welcomed the federal probe. They have criticized the state’s response to the spill and Gov. Pat McCrory’s close ties to Duke.
“It’s about time someone took a hard look at the disturbingly cozy relationship that Duke Energy has been buying from its regulators in North Carolina and elsewhere,” Greenpeace Energy Campaign Director Gabriel Wisniewski said in a statement. “The need for a federal investigation is sad, but not surprising.”
http://www.news-record.com/news/government/article_28b40a90-94d2-11e3-85f5-0017a43b2370.html
"First of all, my emphasis is right here on the storm," McCrory said. "I'd be
glad to have you talk to Secretary [John] Skvarla [of the Department of Energy
and Natural Resources] regarding that but I have had no conversations with Duke
Energy about the lawsuits or about the federal action.
Asked in a follow-up if he would disclose whether he had any Duke Energy stock, McCrory said.
"I have stated in my records I have some 401-K and in my original 401-K some Duke Energy value, but in my 14 years as mayor of Charlotte, in my one year as governor, I separate my job as governor [from his investments]," McCrory said.
When a reporter started to ask a follow-up, McCrory quickly held out his arm and responded, Excuse me sir, but you have not been recognized, OK?"
McCrory continued, "I'll be glad to take any other …" At that point, a reporter again began to ask questions.
McCrory said, "Sir, excuse me sir, I told you I'd get John Skvarla back with you and we'd be glad to answer your questions. But it's no time to be disrespectful."
The press conference continued with questions about the Department of Transportation and the storm.
On Tuesday, the Associated Press has reported, Duke Energy said it will begin dredging coal ash out of a North Carolina river as the state's environmental agency moved to scuttle a previously proposed settlement with the company over pollution leaking from waste dumps at its power plants
http://www.wbtv.com/story/24726878/mccrory-has-sharp-exchange-with-reporter-over-duke-energy-questions?clienttype=generic&mobilecgbypass&utm_content=bufferd455e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Subpoena looks for dirty deal in toxic spill
Michael Gerrard, professor of environmental law at Columbia University, talks with Rachel Maddow about a NC federal investigation into a coal ash leak disaster.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/watch/subpoena-looks-for-dirty-deal-in-toxic-spill-151526467506Federal grand jury to hear from state, Duke in coal ash spill
By Amanda Lehmert amanda.lehmert@news-record.com | Posted: Thursday, February 13, 2014 12:13 pmThe N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Duke Energy have been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury about the Feb. 2 coal ash spill in the Dan River, according to company and state officials.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina has opened an “official criminal investigation of a suspected felony” in the matter, according to documents released by DENR.
Duke Energy estimates that 30,000 to 39,000 tons of coal ash spilled into the river after a stormwater pipe broke at its Dan River Steam Station in Eden. The company this week lowered its estimate from 82,000 tons.
DENR was asked to appear before a grand jury in March and produce a range of records and documents related to the steam station, which was shut down in 2012, and the broken storm water pipe.
DENR Communications Director Drew Elliot said the agency will cooperate with the U.S. attorney.
A Duke spokesman confirmed that the company also has been subpoenaed but declined to comment further.
The grand jury will meet March 18-20 in Raleigh, according to the subpoena.
“This is very serious,” said Frank Holleman, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “The United States Department of Justice does not convene a criminal grand jury at the drop of the hat.”
It’s not clear what suspected felony the federal authorities may be investigating.
DENR will have to turn over an extensive list of documents detailing the state’s interactions with Duke and the Dan River Steam Station dating back to 2000, including:
• The station’s pollution discharge permits, which dictate what Duke may release into the Dan River.
• All records relating to the broken stormwater pipe dating back to January 2010. The stormwater pipe runs under one of the station’s coal ash storage basins.
• Correspondences between state environmental officials and Duke Energy;
• Any administrative penalties the company received.
• All information related to inspections conducted at the steam station since 2000.
• Information, including emails, photographs and videos, about any discharges or seepages from any coal ash ponds on the site.
Groundwater monitoring at the site from 2011 to 2013 found the chemicals antimony, arsenic, boron and other contaminants at levels above the state’s groundwater safety standards, according to a lawsuit the state filed against Duke last year.
Environmental activists welcomed the federal probe. They have criticized the state’s response to the spill and Gov. Pat McCrory’s close ties to Duke.
“It’s about time someone took a hard look at the disturbingly cozy relationship that Duke Energy has been buying from its regulators in North Carolina and elsewhere,” Greenpeace Energy Campaign Director Gabriel Wisniewski said in a statement. “The need for a federal investigation is sad, but not surprising.”
http://www.news-record.com/news/government/article_28b40a90-94d2-11e3-85f5-0017a43b2370.html
NC tells downstream users not to touch polluted Dan River water or eat the fish
By Martha Quillin
mquillin@newsobserver.comFebruary 12, 2014
RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services warned people downstream of the Duke Energy coal ash spill on the Dan River to avoid contact with water and sediment from the stream, and not to eat any fish or shellfish from that section of the Dan.The warning comes 10 days after a security guard at Duke’s Dan River Steam Station in Eden found that a pipe running under a 27-acre waste pond had collapsed, allowing 82,000 tons of coal ash mixed with 27 million gallons of water to drain out. The spill turned the river cloudy for miles.
On Wednesday afternoon, the public health division of DHHS released two health advisories related to the spill, saying, “a potential hazard exists immediately downstream of the release,” and that people should avoid recreational contact with water and sediment from the river downstream of the spill, and not touch submerged or floating coal ash or ash that has washed up on the riverbank.
Direct contact with the pollution could cause skin irritation, the warning said, and any skin exposed to the water or sediment should be washed with soap and water. People also should not eat any fish or shellfish collected from the river downstream of the spill, the warning said.
The Dan is a drinking water source for several cities and towns in Virginia, as well as Roanoke Rapids in North Carolina. Testing by the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources since the spill have found arsenic, copper, iron and aluminum in the river at levels above state standards for surface water quality. Gov. Pat McCrory has said it appears that the water is safe to drink.
The Southern Environmental Law Center has sued Duke to try to force it to clean up toxic coal ash pits like the one involved in the Feb. 2 spill. Frank Holleman, senior attorney for the group, said Wednesday that the spill, and Wednesday’s health warnings, could have been avoided if Duke had voluntarily moved the coal ash away from the stream or DENR had pushed the company to do so
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/12/3616632/nc-tells-downstream-users-not.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/12/3616632/nc-tells-downstream-users-not.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/12/3616632/nc-tells-downstream-users-not.html
On Wednesday afternoon, the public health division of DHHS released two health advisories related to the spill, saying, “a potential hazard exists immediately downstream of the release,” and that people should avoid recreational contact with water and sediment from the river downstream of the spill, and not touch submerged or floating coal ash or ash that has washed up on the riverbank.
Direct contact with the pollution could cause skin irritation, the warning said, and any skin exposed to the water or sediment should be washed with soap and water. People also should not eat any fish or shellfish collected from the river downstream of the spill, the warning said.
The Dan is a drinking water source for several cities and towns in Virginia, as well as Roanoke Rapids in North Carolina. Testing by the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources since the spill have found arsenic, copper, iron and aluminum in the river at levels above state standards for surface water quality. Gov. Pat McCrory has said it appears that the water is safe to drink.
The Southern Environmental Law Center has sued Duke to try to force it to clean up toxic coal ash pits like the one involved in the Feb. 2 spill. Frank Holleman, senior attorney for the group, said Wednesday that the spill, and Wednesday’s health warnings, could have been avoided if Duke had voluntarily moved the coal ash away from the stream or DENR had pushed the company to do so
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/12/3616632/nc-tells-downstream-users-not.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/12/3616632/nc-tells-downstream-users-not.html#storylink=cpy