Though pollution standards reform is almost always a good thing, a knee-jerk reaction could potentially do more harm than good.
The N.C. Department of Energy and Natural Resources has sent a letter to Duke Energy stating that it will reexamine its permits for disposal of coal ash in the wake of the Dan River spill.
With support from the governor, it has reportedly followed this up with suggestions that it might require Duke to move all stored coal ash to lined landfills from its current storage in surface impoundments, or ponds.
It’s true that coal ash ponds are not ideal. Even without these spills, they still leach harmful chemicals, including arsenic, selenium and lead into the ground and bodies of water they border.
Even the approved discharge from these storage facilities can be devastating to the environment. After four years of discharging ash into the Belews Lake in the 1970s, Duke had managed to kill all but three species of fish in the lake.
Though these ponds are obviously very dangerous to the environment, it does necessarily mean that landfills are the solution.
These dry storage options pose a threat to air pollution. The ash is often caught by the wind, causing people who live nearby to breathe in harmful chemicals.
In the fall of last year, the Environmental Protection Agency closed a period of public input on revisions to their coal ash storage standards. They have yet to release any of the revisions.
Before the DENR makes Duke move all of its coal ash to landfills, it should wait for the EPA’s input.
Though coal ash ponds are awful, it remains to be seen what the best solution is.
