February 2nd, 2024 marks the ten-year anniversary of the Dan River Spill. Five years ago, The Lilies Project hosted a Prayer by the Dan River. This year, we are resurrecting the Alliance of Carolinians Together (ACT) against Coal Ash, as we prepare for the public comment period for Duke’s Carbon Plan.
Following is an overview of what’s happened over the last ten years, as compiled by Ridge Graham with Appalachian Voices.
Coal Ash Timeline
Feb. 2 2014 @ approx 3 p.m → approx. 39,000 tons of ash and 27 million gallons of ash pond water through buried storm sewer → Duke Energy Dan River Steam Station https://www.cerc.usgs.gov/orda_docs/CaseDetails?ID=984
Feb. 8 2014 → Six days after the spill, Duke Energy announces that the leakage has stopped and they plan on cleaning up the coal ash. https://www.southernenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-6-27-Southern-Environmental-Law-Center-NC-coal-ash-timeline.pdf
May 2 2014 → EPA enters financial agreement with Duke Energy to address Feb 2014 coal ash spill at Eden. Agreement requires Duke Energy to perform comprehensive assessment and removal at an estimated cost of 1M. Additionally, Duke Energy will pay EPA 2 mil for past and future costs associated with the spill. https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/case-summary-duke-energy-agrees-3-million-cleanup-coal-ash-release-dan-river
September 2014 → NC’s First in the Nation Coal Ash Law takes effect https://www.mcguirewoods.com/client-resources/alerts/2014/9/north-carolinas-first-in-the-nation-coal-ash-law/
“The 2014 Coal Ash Management Act mandated that four Duke Energy sites designated as “high priority” — Dan River, Sutton, Asheville, and Riverbend — needed to close by 2019, with all the ash removed.” Energy News Network → Intermediate risk sites by 2024, and low risk sites to close by 2029 https://energynews.us/2022/08/29/to-excavate-or-not-to-excavate-with-toxic-coal-ash-that-is-the-question/
Feb. 20 2015 → Federal prosecutors file criminal charges against three subsidiaries of Duke Energy for violating the Clean Water Act. Nine misdemeanor charges in all in North Carolina’s three federal court districts. https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-criminal-charges-duke-20150220-story.html
May 14 2015 → Duke Energy’s operating companies plead guilty to all charges and are ordered to pay a 102 million dollar fine. 68 million went to criminal fines and the other 34 to environmental projects in NC and Virginia. Duke Energy is put on nationwide criminal probation. https://appvoices.org/2020/02/25/beginning-of-the-end-of-north-carolinas-coal-ash-crisis/
2015 → Appalachian Voices helps bring together NC community groups and leaders for a conversation → Alliance of Citizens Together Against Coal Ash → Pressures NCDEQ plans to not push “cap-in-place” plans https://appvoices.org/2020/02/25/beginning-of-the-end-of-north-carolinas-coal-ash-crisis/
March 2016 → McCrory shuts down Coal Ash Management commission over questions of legality https://www.utilitydive.com/news/north-carolina-coal-ash-commission-abruptly-shuts-down/415926/
August 2016 → NC State Epidemiologist Megan Davies under McCrory admin → says DHHS “deliberately misleads the public” http://epimonitor.net/NC-Epidemiologist-Resigns.htm
April 1 2019 → Communities across the state informed that NCDEQ ordered Duke to excavate all six of its North Carolina coal ash ponds that did not have clean up orders in place. https://appvoices.org/2020/02/25/beginning-of-the-end-of-north-carolinas-coal-ash-crisis/
April 26 2019→ Duke Energy appeals order, SELC intervenes on the case with seven other orgs (including App Voices)
October 2019 → Excavation of Dan River impoundments and coal ash stacks complete. https://www.southernenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-6-27-Southern-Environmental-Law-Center-NC-coal-ash-timeline.pdf
Jan. 2 2020 → State announces settlement, confirms Duke Energy required to excavate ash ponds https://appvoices.org/2020/02/25/beginning-of-the-end-of-north-carolinas-coal-ash-crisis/
June 2020 → Excavation of coal ash from the Sutton site in Wilmington is completed. https://www.southernenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-6-27-Southern-Environmental-Law-Center-NC-coal-ash-timeline.pdf
May 2022 → Excavation of coal ash from the unlined Asheville coal ash lagoons is completed. https://www.southernenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-6-27-Southern-Environmental-Law-Center-NC-coal-ash-timeline.pdf
May 17, 2023 → EPA announces latest action plan to protect communities from coal ash, requiring safe management of legacy coal ash sites in federally un-regulated areas. https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-latest-action-protect-communities-coal-ash-contamination