14 DAY TRIAL // Towards the beginning of this year's February, the news broke that, following the rupture of a pipe under a pond at a plant in Eden, North Carolina, several thousand tons of coal ash spilled into the environment and hit the state's Dan River.
At that time, Duke Energy, i.e. the company responsible for the spill, announced that, according to its estimates, the plant where the incident occurred leaked somewhere between 50,000 and 82,000 tons of coal ash.
Recent news on the topic says that the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States is anything but willing to let this incident slide, and that is has recently ordered Duke Energy to get to work and clean up the spill.
In a press release issued this past May 22, the Environmental Protection Agency details that, under an agreement it has more-or-less willingly entered, Duke Energy must carry out a thorough assessment of the spill, pin down coal ash deposits and remove them.
“Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed an enforceable agreement with Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke) to perform a comprehensive assessment, determine the location of coal ash deposits and to remove deposits along the Dan River,” the Agency writes.
What's interesting is that, perhaps looking to make sure that Duke Energy will not get too bored while cleaning up its own mess, give up and head to the movies, the Environmental Protection Agency is to closely monitor the coal ash removal process.
Besides, the Agency intends to have Duke Energy reimburse the money it will have to spend while stalking workers and specialists in charge of carrying out cleanup operations, information made available to the public says.
“EPA will work with Duke Energy to ensure that cleanup at the site, and affected areas, is comprehensive based on sound scientific and ecological principles, complies with all Federal and State environmental standards, and moves as quickly as possible.”
“Protection of public health and safety remains a primary concern, along with the long-term ecological health of the Dan River,” Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Heather McTeer Toney says in a statement on the issue.
Since the coal ash that Duke Energy is supposed to locate and remove from the environment contains several dangerous chemical compounds such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium and zinc, the company will have to not only clean it up, but will also properly dispose of it afterwards.
Should the Agency consider that, when all is said and done, traces of contaminants are still present in the environment, Duke Energy will be required to implement additional measures intended to minimize the effects of the February spill on Dan River and its surroundings.