Environment

Pressure from citizens in coal ash communities credited for winning cleanup settlement

By Alanna Joyner / January 16, 2020 / Comments Off on Pressure from citizens in coal ash communities credited for winning cleanup settlement

For years, communities across North Carolina stood up to Duke Energy (as well as the energy giant’s enablers in the McCrory administration and the General Assembly) and fought to get coal ash pollution cleaned up in their neighborhoods. The tenacity of those communities reflects the true spirit of democracy and resilience, now that Duke Energy…

Settlement forces Duke Energy to clean up coal ash ponds — but who will pay for it?

By Alanna Joyner / January 9, 2020 /

After years of Duke Energy trying to shirk its responsibility to clean up its coal ash ponds, a new settlement means the energy giant will finally have to clean up these polluted ponds which have leaked countless tons of toxic chemicals into North Carolina waterways. From WRAL: Frank Holleman, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental…

Duke Energy should pay for cleanup instead of charging ratepayers

By Administrator / April 30, 2019 / Comments Off on Duke Energy should pay for cleanup instead of charging ratepayers

A report out today from a coalition of 14 community and environmental justice organizations reveals that Duke Energy skewed its political campaign contributions last year in order to gain support for a highly controversial bill that would make it easier to pass cleanup costs on to customers. Last year, the North Carolina Utilities Commission authorized the giant Charlotte-based utility to charge…

WRAL: Chemours ‘re-importing’ GenX waste from Netherlands

By Administrator / January 28, 2019 / Comments Off on WRAL: Chemours ‘re-importing’ GenX waste from Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the chemical GenX is considered a hazardous substance. Here in the U.S., it isn’t. It turns out that Eastern North Carolina has been importing shipments of the toxic stuff from the Netherlands, and the contents and concentration of the sludge isn’t fully known. It is past time for our lawmakers to put…

WFMY: North Carolina Republicans Lose General Assembly Supermajority

By Administrator / November 7, 2018 / Comments Off on WFMY: North Carolina Republicans Lose General Assembly Supermajority

Despite unconstitutional maps favoring Republicans, North Carolina voters sent a strong message that the GOP agenda of continued attacks on health care, cuts to public education, gutting of clean water rules, and reckless tax cuts for millionaires and big corporations is coming to an end. From WFMY: The balance of power in North Carolina shifted…

OPINION, Dana Sargent: Move factory farms out of floodplain

By Administrator / October 8, 2018 / Comments Off on OPINION, Dana Sargent: Move factory farms out of floodplain

Our legislature has its head in the sand when it comes to sea level rise and climate change. Toxic coal ash waste, hog lagoons, and poultry factory farms are all located in floodplains. When researchers brought dire news to the General Assembly of the effects of sea level rise, instead of heeding the warning and…

The Virginia Pilot: Editorial: Ignoring waste lagoons’ is a lasting risk

By Administrator / September 28, 2018 / Comments Off on The Virginia Pilot: Editorial: Ignoring waste lagoons’ is a lasting risk

Cutting taxes has consequences. One of those is a lack of staff and funding to keep water clean and prepare for hurricanes. North Carolina needs leaders that put the health and safety of the people over tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. From The Virginia Pilot: The threat of hurricanes is a constant in…

The Virginia Pilot: Editorial: Ignoring waste lagoons’ is a lasting risk

By Administrator / September 27, 2018 / Comments Off on The Virginia Pilot: Editorial: Ignoring waste lagoons’ is a lasting risk

Cutting taxes has consequences. One of those is a lack of staff and funding to keep water clean and prepare for hurricanes. From The Virginia Pilot: The threat of hurricanes is a constant in eastern North Carolina, as much a part of the landscape as the golden fields of tobacco that once dominated the region…

The New York Times: What Is Coal Ash and Why Is It Dangerous?

By Administrator / September 21, 2018 / Comments Off on The New York Times: What Is Coal Ash and Why Is It Dangerous?

Another coal ash pit is spilling into our water, this after Trump’s EPA relaxed the regulations on these pits even further. This happened before and caused the drinking water of hundreds of families to be poisoned. NC lawmakers did require that Duke Energy clean up its act, but allowed them to make their customers pay…

The Wall Street Journal: Florence Washes Away Portion of Coal-Ash Landfill in North Carolina

By Administrator / September 16, 2018 / Comments Off on The Wall Street Journal: Florence Washes Away Portion of Coal-Ash Landfill in North Carolina

Duke Energy is once again responsible for a spill of toxic coal ash into North Carolina’s waterways. Our lawmakers have been soft on Duke and even allowed them to charge their customers to clean up their toxic mess. It’s time the politicians protected the health of the people and hold corporate polluters accountable to clean…