Ash Pond Newsletter: February 2020

The following is a collection of ash pond news from February 2020. The intent of the newsletter is to summarize news regarding ash pond closure activities, lawsuits filed against utilities relating to their ash ponds, as well as regulatory changes impacting ash pond operations or closures.

This downloadable newsletter provides resources and explanations of ash pond news concerning these topics: 

• The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) issuing a permit to allow Duke Energy to construct a new onsite, lined landfill to dispose of coal ash at the Asheville Steam Electric Plant
• Talen Energy is required to post a $107 million bond to ensure proper ash pond cleanup at the Colstrip Power Plant in Montana
• The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced a new proposed rollback to an Obama-era regulation dealing with coal ash
• The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) voted to establish a coal ash permit program with approval of the EPA
• Duke Energy received final approval from North Carolina state regulators on a plan to permanently close all the company’s remaining coal ash basins in the state
• Last year, Santee Cooper, South Carolina’s largest power provider, recycled 1,607,052 tons of coal ash and other coal combustion residuals, the highest amount of any year to date for the utility
• The Tombigee River floodwaters could affect the coal ash ponds at Power South Cooperative’s Lowman Power Plant in Jackson, Alabama