Dive Brief:
- Duke Energy is negotiating with city officials in Eden, NC, about the possibility of transporting a portion of coal ash from a nearby site to a proposed landfill.
- The landfill would be used to store the ash near the location of a coal ash spill, which occurred in February 2014.
- Duke Energy would construct and operate the site, but would need approval from the city before plans get underway.
Dive Insight:
In 2014, the General Assembly passed the Coal Ash Management Act in North Carolina, requiring Duke Energy to dispose of the ash in approximately four years. The landfill, if successful, would transport about half the ash to a private landfill in Virginia; Duke is required to have the waste from four different sites in a containment facility by August 2019.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t given coal ash a hazardous waste label. In fact, in December, it reconfirmed coal ash’s classification as a solid waste.
