Duke Energy Fined for Environmental Violations
Duke Energy Corp has agreed to pay a fine of about $102 million for environmental violations related to a power plant's coal ash spill into a North Carolina river last year and the company's management of coal ash basins in the state. Duke set aside $100 million in the fourth quarter in anticipation of the settlement, the company said in an earnings statement. The U.S. Department of Justice fined the company for five Clean Water Act violations at its Dan River and Riverbend steam stations and four Clean Water Act violations at the company's H.F. Lee Steam, Cape Fear and Asheville electricity-generating plants, according to a company statement on Friday.
Duke Energy To Clean Up Ash In Dan River
Duke Energy Corp has agreed to find and remove coal ash that a retired North Carolina power plant spilled into the Dan River, which provides drinking water to two towns in nearby Virginia, U.S. environmental regulators said on Thursday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will oversee the cleanup, and Duke will reimburse EPA for current and future costs, a statement issued by the EPA said. On Feb. 2, a 48-inch (122-cm) stormwater pipe beneath a coal ash pond ruptured at the retired Eden coal plant and released between 24 million and 27 million gallons (91 million to 102 million liters) of wastewater and as many as 39,000 tons of coal combustion residue into the Dan river that supplies drinking water to two towns in Virginia.
