Monday, February 10, 2014

Meeting: U.S. EPA will be available to discuss the Eden NC Coal Ash Spill (Danville, VA) / NC regulators shielded Duke’s coal ash pollution: N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources


 Meeting:  U.S. EPA will be available to discuss the Eden NC Coal Ash Spill (Danville, VA) / NC regulators shielded Duke’s coal ash pollution:  N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources

Community Briefing Announcement
U.S. EPA will be available to discuss the Eden NC Coal Ash Spill

WHAT: Representatives from EPA regions 3 and 4, as well as other responding agencies, will be available to provide the community an update on the Eden NC Coast Ash Spill incident and answer questions regarding the response.
WHEN: Tuesday, February 11, 2014
 
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.


WHERE: City of Danville Municipal Building
City Council Chambers, 4th floor
 
427 Patton Street


Danville, VA 24543


WHO: Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other state and local responders.

WHY: To provide the community with an update on the incident status and upcoming work efforts.
 

 


 
Comments:  If possible, please attend this meeting, come early, small room.
 


 

Posted: Sunday, February 9, 2014 6:37 pm

EPA to hold community briefing

GoDanRiver staffgodanriver.com

Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be in Danville on Tuesday to holding a community briefing about the Duke Energy coal ash spill in Eden, N.C., that has polluted the Dan River.

The coal ash spill on Feb. 2 dumped up to 27 million gallons of water from a coal ash storage basin into the Dan River, along with up to 82,000 tons of ash, turning the river gray. The meeting will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. in Danville City Council Chambers on the fourth floor of the Municipal Building on Patton Street

Joined by responders from other state and local agencies, the EPA representatives will provide an update on the spill and answer questions about the response.


http://www.godanriver.com/news/coal-ash/nc-admits-mistake-says-arsenic-topped-safe-level/article_990de4b6-91e2-11e3-9dc0-0017a43b2370.html
Posted: Sunday, February 9, 2014 6:33 pm

NC admits mistake, says arsenic topped safe levelN.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Associated Press |
RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina's environmental agency said Sunday it wrongly declared all test results for the arsenic levels in the Dan River as safe for people after a massive coal ash spill.

A water sample taken Monday, two days after the spill was discovered, was four times higher than the maximum level for people to have prolonged contact, such as swimming, the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources said.

"We made an honest mistake while interpreting the results," state Division of Water Resources director Tom Reeder said in a statement.

State regulators had taken those samples two miles downstream from the plant, rather than closer to the spill site where two environmental groups reported readings far exceeding safety standards.

Officials 20 miles downstream in Danville, Va., said they are successfully filtering arsenic, lead and other toxins from the drinking water supplied to the city's 43,000 residents.

Duke Energy said it permanently plugged the leak Saturday, six days after it was discovered.

 Duke says up to 82,000 tons of ash from a coal-burning power plant mixed with 27 million gallons of contaminated water escaped.

NC regulators shielded Duke’s coal ash pollution:  N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.


By Associated Press, Published: February 9
       

RALEIGH, N.C. — Over the last year, environmental groups have tried three times to use the federal Clean Water Act to force Duke Energy to clear out leaky coal ash dumps like the one that ruptured last week, spewing enough toxic sludge into a North Carolina river to fill 73 Olympic-sized pools.

Each time, they say, their efforts have been stymied — by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The state agency has blocked the citizen lawsuits by intervening at the last minute to assert its own authority under the federal act to take enforcement action. After negotiating with Duke, the state proposed settlements where the nation’s largest electricity provider pays modest fines but is under no requirement to actually clean up its coal ash ponds.
Clean water advocates have long complained that state regulators are too cozy with the polluters they regulate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/nc-regulators-shielded-dukes-coal-ash-pollution/2014/02/09/93795062-91ab-11e3-b3f7-f5107432ca45_story.html

 


Sharp disagreement over effects of North Carolina coal ash spill

Duke Energy has downplayed any danger to the public or wildlife. But environmentalists say tests found levels of arsenic, lead, chromium and other heavy metals far exceeding safety standards.







EDEN, N.C. — Pete Harrison dipped his kayak paddle into a gray stain on the bank of the murky Dan River. He pulled out a sticky gob 4 inches thick.
"That's pure coal ash," he said.
Harrison, a lawyer with the Waterkeeper Alliance, was kayaking the river Thursday to take water samples, four days after a massive plume of coal ash laced with toxic chemicals spilled into the river from a storage basin at a retired coal-fired power plant operated by Duke Energy.

FOR THE RECORD:
Coal ash spill: An article in Section A on Feb. 9 about a coal ash spill in the Dan River in North Carolina said Pete Harrison is a lawyer with Riverkeeper Alliance. The name of the group is Waterkeeper Alliance. —

Environmentalists and the nation's largest electric utility seem to describe two different rivers in the wake of the third-largest coal ash spill in U.S. history. The Dan River is either recovering just fine or it has been poisoned by pollution from toxic heavy metals that will last for years.
On Thursday, Duke public relations officers in safety helmets and bright yellow vests showed reporters the company's attempts to plug a ruptured storm water pipe that sent up to 82 tons of toxic coal ash spewing into the river. In calm, soothing tones, they said company tests showed only traces of heavy metals.
From the moment Duke issued its first press release — 26 hours after the spill was discovered at the storage basin Feb. 2 — the utility has downplayed any danger to the public or wildlife. On Friday, a Duke statement was headlined: "Water quality continues to improve."
Environmental groups say otherwise. A map on the Riverkeeper website uses a skull and crossbones to depict coal ash flows on the Dan, inundated by 27 million gallons of contaminated basin water in addition to the ash itself. Riverkeeper says its tests found levels of arsenic, lead, chromium and other heavy metals far exceeding safety standards.
Pointing to patches of coal ash coating the riverbank, Harrison said the Dan River plant had been leaking heavy metals for years, contaminating groundwater and the river. "That's just out-in-the-open illegality," he said.
After environmental groups threatened to sue Duke for leaking coal ash from basins last summer, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources sued the utility for illegal discharges of coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal for electricity, from 14 plants in the state, including the Dan River facility.
Duke Energy's state president for North Carolina, Paul Newton, apologized for the spill. "We will do the right thing for the river and surrounding communities," he said Friday. "We are accountable."
Environmental groups have accused state regulators of working too closely with Duke. Frank Holleman, senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, said of state regulators: "They're part of the Duke team when they're supposed to be enforcing the law."
Jamie Kritzer, a spokesman for the state environmental agency, said, "We've been enforcing regulations in state law regarding coal ash since those laws were in place," including during the Dan River spill.
Tom Reeder, director of the North Carolina Division of Water Resources, said he was concerned about the river's long-term health. Heavy metals settle and concentrate in sediment on river bottoms.
Coal ash sediment can erupt in hot summer months, sending a plume of toxic metals back into surface water, Holleman said. Lisa Evans, an attorney with the environmental group Earthjustice, compared it to a volcanic eruption in the water.
The state agency began sampling sediment Friday, a day after the EPA began its own sediment sampling.


http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-coal-ash-spill-20140209,0,3515834.story#ixzz2swojpUlh

Coal ash spillDanville Riverwalk Trail users want Dan River cleanup to begin

Posted: Sunday, February 9, 2014 8:43 pm


“Oh, good,” Maggie Austin said as she walked along the Riverwalk Trail behind Bridge Street on Sunday. “Some geese are back.” Austin said she enjoys walking her dog along the river twice a day and watching the wildlife. But since the coal ash spill at Duke Energy’s Dan River Steam Station in Eden, N.C., on Feb. 2, a lot of that wildlife has been missing, Austin said.
“I haven’t seen any geese in the river until today, and I only saw three flying over the river yesterday,” Austin said. “I still haven’t seen any of the kingfishers … and I haven’t seen any beaver or otters this week, and I usually see them two or three times a week.”
Austin said she hopes Duke Energy cleans the river quickly — a sentiment shared by others walking or bicycling along the Riverwalk Trail, and where ash from the spill is easily visible floating in the water.
“This is really a bad thing for the environment,” Tracey Briggs said as he and his wife walked their dog on the Riverwalk Trail at Dan Daniel Memorial Park.
Melody Briggs said the spill would have long-term effects on many things, from fishing to people letting their dogs splash around in the river.

http://www.godanriver.com/news/coal-ash/danville-riverwalk-trail-users-want-dan-river-cleanup-to-begin/article_c3e37d92-91f4-11e3-a6a4-0017a43b2370.html



 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be in Danville

Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be in Danville on Tuesday to holding a community briefing about the Duke Energy coal ash spill in Eden, N.C., that has polluted the Dan River.
The coal ash spill on February 2nd dumped up to 27 million gallons of water from a coal ash storage basin into the Dan River, along with up to 82,000 tons of ash, turning the river gray.

The meeting will be held from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the Danville City Council Chambers on the fourth floor of the Municipal Building on Patton Street.

When: February 11, 2014 6:30-8:00 pm
Where:
Danville City Council Chambers (4th Floor) 427 Patton St, Danville, VA 24541

What:
Joined by responders from other state and local agencies, the EPA representatives will provide an update on the spill and answer questions about the response.

We hope to see you there,
Keep the Ban Team
http://keeptheban.org/




Dear Sierrans and Friends, 

Tomorrow evening, the EPA will be holding an important meeting on the coal ash spill in the Dan River. 

The coal ash spill on February 2nd dumped up to 27 million gallons of water from a coal ash storage basin into the Dan River, along with up to 82,000 tons of ash, turning the river gray.

Can you attend and speak up for strong, national coal ash protections? 

WHAT: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a community briefing about the Duke Energy coal ash spill in Danville, VA. 
WHEN: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 11, 2014
WHERE: Danville City Council Chambers, on the fourth floor of the Municipal Building on Patton Street (MAP
Questions? Contact Kelly Martin at kelly.martin@sierraclub.org or 828-251-1272

Currently, there are no federal safeguards to protect our communities from coal ash or other water pollution caused by burning coal -- and yet there are more than 1,100 coal ash sites nationwide, like the one on the Dan River. 

EPA is finalizing a rule on coal ash this year, and they need to hear that coal ash should not be stored in dangerous, unlined pits and wet conditions. The Dan River spill is just the latest example of why these sites are such a risk to our communities.  

Joined by responders from other state and local agencies, the EPA representatives will provide an update on the spill and answer questions about the response. Please attend the meeting if you can, and use this opportunity to urge the EPA to finalize new coal ash protections to prevent further damage to our communities. 

Please let us know if you can make it. Thank you for all you do for the environment. 

Sincerely yours,
Kate Addleson



DUKE ENERGY: COME CLEAN ABOUT ONGOING DAN RIVER COAL ASH SPILL

Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Contact: 
Jenna Garland, Sierra Club, (404) 607-1262 x 222jenna.garland@sierraclub.org
Kelly Martin, Sierra Club, (828) 423-7845kelly.martin@sierraclub.org

DUKE ENERGY: COME CLEAN ABOUT ONGOING DAN RIVER COAL ASH SPILL

Time to Clean Up Coal Ash in North Carolina

EDEN, NC – On Monday afternoon, Duke Energy announced that a stormwater pipe carrying toxic coal ash had ruptured at its Dan River Steam Station, a retired coal-fired power plant, and has been actively spilling waste sinceSunday. More than fifty thousand tons of coal ash have already been spilled with more waste dumped into the river every minute. The two coal ash waste pits at Dan River Steam Station are both designated as “high hazard” by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Duke Energy owns and operates eight additional high hazard coal ash sites in North Carolina. Coal ash is the waste product left after burning coal to generate electricity, and contains high concentrations of toxic metals like mercury, arsenic and selenium which threaten human health and wildlife.
In response, Kelly Martin, senior campaign representative with the Sierra Club, issued the following statement:
"Because coal ash is so toxic to human health, wildlife and the environment, the Sierra Club calls on Duke Energy to take immediate steps to stop the ongoing spill while ensuring first responders and workers are protected. Today's events underscore the need to require Duke Energy to immediately and safely close out its two toxic coal ash ponds at the Dan River Steam Station and its additional waste sites across the state.
Duke Energy and the state of North Carolina have known about contamination from aging and dangerous coal ash storage pits for years, yet have taken no action to clean up the waste pits and protect our waterways and our people. In fact, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) only filed an enforcement action against Duke’s unlawful coal ash pits after conservation advocates like the Sierra Club forced their hand. Even then, DENR’s customer-service approach would allow Duke Energy to continue business as usual.
In light of these facts, the Sierra Club calls on both Duke Energy and the State of North Carolina to be fully transparent with the public, releasing accurate and timely information about the scale of this spill and its consequences. As the spill is ongoing, nothing less than full disclosure and cooperation is acceptable.
Just a few months ago, the Sierra Club and our partners at the Southern Environmental Law Center, the Waterkeeper Alliance and the Cape Fear Riverkeeper revealed shocking evidence that coal ash pollution from Duke Energy’s Sutton coal plant has contaminated Sutton Lake and is causing serious, life-threatening mutations in fish. Both the Dan River Steam Station and the Sutton plant no longer burn coal, yet the coal ash continues to have a toxic legacy that lasts beyond a plant’s operation.
Duke Energy operates eight additional high-hazard coal ash waste pits across the state, meaning more waterways and communities remain at risk. The nation’s largest utility company needs to prevent future accidents from toxic coal ash by removing the wet coal ash from these unlined ponds and store it in dry landfills that are safe and clean.  Until then, the coal ash sites across the state are disasters waiting to happen.
By the end of 2014, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will release its first-ever regulations for the disposal of this toxic waste product. But this deadline alone is not enough. North Carolina cannot afford more coal ash spills. We cannot bear the costs of more groundwater pollution and contamination. It is time to close the dangerous, unlined ash pits like those Duke Energy operates in North Carolina.”
###

Kate P. Addleson
Program Manager
Virginia Sierra Club