Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2016 14:58:16 -0500
From: “Diana Hales”
Subject: Coal ash misstatements by Larry Hicks
In the Friday, March 5 ChatList, a post by Larry Hicks regarding Chatham County’s agreement to accept 12 million tons of coal ash at the Brickhaven site in Moncure has factual errors. Hicks stated that the Duke Energy/Chatham County agreement includes a provision to move the 5.7 million tons from the five “ponds” at the former Cape Fear power generating site next to the Haw River. The agreement, in fact, says Duke will make “reasonable efforts to reserve an adequate amount of space.” Further, Duke Energy retains the right for continued use of the Cape Fear ponds for coal ash storage, without further opposition from the County. The agreement does stipulate that Brickhaven and the Cape Fear ponds will be the only two locations used for coal ash storage in Chatham County.
A second error is Hicks’ statement that the existing five Cape Fear ponds are on the state priority list for being moved. The Cape Fear sites are not on the priority list, but are now classified as “intermediate risk.” The public is invited to speak at a hearing by the NC Department of Environmental Quality on the state priority listing for the Cape Fear coal ash impoundments Thursday, March 10 at 6 pm in the Multipurpose Room, CCCC, Pittsboro. This is a public hearing that could change the clean-up classification and timeline.
Diana Hales
Chatham County Commissioner