Tag: Coal ash
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The Right Way to Test for Coal Ash Contaminants
So, it looks like the there will be a pause in the solid-waste permitting process for Virginia coal ash. Governor Terry McAuliffe had submitted an amendment to legislation that, if approved, would require Dominion Virginia Power to compile more information on contamination around its coal ash sites and study alternative closure methods before the state issues…
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Chesapeake Coal Ash Ruling — Advantage Dominion
My initial reaction to Judge John A. Gibney Jr.’s ruling in Virginia’s first coal ash-related federal court case was to call it a draw. As I blogged yesterday, both the Sierra Club and Dominion Virginia Power found aspects of the judge’s order that supported their positions. But as I sort through the implications for the ongoing…
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Dominion, SELC Spin Coal Ash Ruling as Victory
Dominion Virginia Power and the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) are both declaring victory after a ruling by a federal judge regarding Dominion’s disposal of coal ash at its retired Chesapeake Energy Center. U.S. District Court Judge John A. Gibney ruled today that the coal ash ponds are contaminating the Elizabeth River with arsenic and…
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Prince William Supervisors Demand Coal Ash Studies
Four members of the Prince William County board of supervisors appeared at a public hearing last night to express concerns about Dominion Virginia Power’s plan to pursue the “closure in place” option for disposing the coal ash at its Possum Point Power Station. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) held the hearing as part of…
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Landfill, Recycle or Close in Place?
As debate intensifies over how to dispose of coal ash, Dominion Virginia Power says it is following the same approach as many other utilities: closing the coal ash ponds in place. Environmentalists want to hold Dominion to a higher standard set by other utilities in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, where many are recycling and landfilling…
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Is Recycling a Practical Solution for Coal Ash?
State Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, represents homeowners living near Dominion Virginia Power’s Possum Point Power Station, which is in the process of disposing of millions of cubic yards of coal ash accumulated over the years. The coal combustion residue, he told the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation & Natural Resources this afternoon, is a “booming,…
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Dominion Tweaks Coal-Ash Dewatering Process
Dominion Virginia Power has temporarily shut down the $35 million water treatment facility at its Possum Point Power Station as it adjusts the process of cleaning water from its coal ash ponds, Levels of selenium, a chemical element that can be toxic at high levels, rose above a “trigger” point specified in agreement between Dominion and Prince…
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Possum Point De-watering Permit Upheld
A Richmond Circuit Court judge has upheld the state’s issuance of a water-discharge permit for Dominion Virginia Power’s coal ash pond at the Possum Creek Power Station. The permit sets the effluent limits and monitoring requirements for the discharge of water from coal ash Pond D. The Potomac Riverkeepers Network had challenged the permit on…
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Hexavalent Chromium May Be Endemic in Piedmont Well Water
by James A. Bacon Hexavalent chromium, a potent carcinogen, is detectable in 90% of the North Carolina water wells sampled in a Duke University research study, and in many cases exceeds levels deemed safe for drinking water. The chemical, made famous by the movie “Erin Brockovich,” originates not from coal ash ponds but from the natural…
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The Economics of Coal Ash Disposal
To cap coal ash pits in existing locations or to haul it off to landfills is the multibillion dollar question facing the electric utility industry. by James A. Bacon The debate over coal ash hasn’t gone away — it’s just morphed. For much of the year, public attention focused on how to de-water millions of tons of coal-combustion residue…
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Maryland Drops Coal Ash Appeal
The state of Maryland has dropped its appeal of permits granted to Dominion Virginia Power for discharging treated water from its Possum Point Power Station coal ash ponds into Quantico Creek and the Potomac River. “Maryland is supportive of recent agreements in Virginia to increase wastewater treatment protections and monitoring protocols,” Ben Grumbles, Maryland’s secretary…
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Duke Study Documents Coal Ash Leakage into Groundwater
by James A. Bacon New tests and analysis conducted by Duke University add to the body of evidence indicating that heavy metals in coal ash ponds leach into the water and and make their way into surrounding water, sometimes in excess of federal standards for drinking water and aquatic life. The researchers sampled surface water…
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Coal Ash, Parts Per Billion, and Risk
Kudos to Robert Zullo with the Richmond Times-Dispatch for digging beneath the dueling press releases to shed light on the contamination risks that coal ash ponds pose to drinking water. Focusing on the carcinogenic chemical hexavalent chromium, which has been detected in well water near Dominion Virginia Power’s Possum Point Power Station, he broaches key questions: How much…
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Coal Ash to Cold Cash?
by James A. Bacon A Duke University study of coal ash has found that the mineral residue from coal combustion contains high concentrations of valuable rare-earth elements neodymium, europium, terbium, dysprosium, yttrium and erbium used in uses as varied as cell phones, rechargeable batteries, fluorescent lighting, air pollution controls, and night-vision goggles. Demand for the exotic…