Myths Vs Facts: What The McCrory Administration Is Doing To Protect The Environment | Eastern NC Now

    Raleigh, N.C.     Governor McCrory's press office released the following information refuting deceptive and misleading attacks on the governor's record of protecting the environment.

    MYTH: It's been two years since the toxic spill in the Dan River, but coal ash pits are leaking and contaminating drinking water across North Carolina.

    FACTS: This administration has addressed the coal ash problem head-on over the last three years, beginning before Duke Energy's Dan River spill.

• We required the closure of all coal ash ponds.
• We've issued record fines for groundwater contamination and the Dan River spill.
• Governor McCrory has signed a law that provides permanent drinking water to well owners, requires the dams around coal ash ponds to be repaired, and mandates the recycling of coal ash.

    MYTH: Even though Governor McCrory's environmental department classifies many of the coal ash pits as high-risk, most of the coal ash is still in place while residents continue drinking bottled water.

    FACTS: The environmental department classified 25 coal ash impoundments as "intermediate" and the coal ash law identified eight as "high."

• Ash is being moved from five of Duke Energy's 14 coal facilities and more than four million tons have already been moved to safe storage. More ash has been moved in our state than ash that exists in the entire state of South Carolina.
• North Carolina was the first state in the country to mandate that all coal ash ponds be closed.
• We issued record fines for environmental violations.
• We required Duke Energy to excavate coal ash facilities where needed and have already overseen the safe cleanup of more than four million tons of coal ash.
• We look forward to building on the progress we have made since 2013 and removing, once and for all, any coal ash that may pose a threat to the environment or public health.

    MYTH: Governor McCrory is not doing enough to protect people or the environment.

    FACTS: Governor McCrory's administration is the first to hold Duke Energy accountable and tackle the threat of coal ash at its source.

• Previous administrations ignored the dangers of coal ash for decades.
• In 2007, the Democratic dominated Easley Administration changed landfill laws and specifically exempted coal ash ponds from many environmental requirements.
• The massive spill in the state of Tennessee was 100 times larger than the Dan River spill and should have been a wake-up call for North Carolina.
• Instead, in 2009, under the Democratic controlled Perdue Administration exempted Duke Energy from having to show that its coal ash ponds were structurally sound.
• If that information had been required, the corroded pipe under the Dan River coal ash pond may have been found and the spill could have been avoided.
• In 2010, federal regulators required leaks from all coal ash ponds to be evaluated. No action was taken in North Carolina for three years.
• In 2011, the state gave Duke Energy approval to use Sutton Lake, a recreational area in Wilmington, as a dumping ground for coal ash.
• For many years, Duke Energy monitored the water under its coal ash ponds and found hundreds of samples that did not meet groundwater standards, but no action was taken.
• Not only did the prior administration fail to act - it actually created a policy instructing regulators not to fine Duke Energy if the company said it would correct the problem sometime in the future.

• Contact: Crystal Feldman
•     govpress@nc.gov