Duke dealt largest federal criminal fine in NC history for coal ash crimes
On May 14, 2015, Duke Energy pled guilty to 9 criminal misdemeanor violations of the Clean Water Act. The charges stemmed from a widened investigation, after the Dan River disaster, that found…
Citizens slam Duke for coal ash pollution at shareholder meeting
On May 7, Duke held its annual shareholder meeting outside its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Like most publicly-traded corporations, Duke tried to put on a "dog and pony show" to excite…
Duke fines for coal ash pile up, but the ash piles don't shrink
Duke Energy is under a lot of pressure these days. Coal ash has become a serious financial and public relations liability for the corporation, yet so far, the nation's largest utility isn't…
Earthjustice: BIG COAL CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP
Lisa Evans is an attorney specializing in hazardous waste law. Ms. Evans has been active in hazardous waste litigation and advocacy for over 25 years. Since 2006, she has been a senior…
The Supreme Court, the Mercury Rule and Chicken Little
Last week, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS), set to go into effect next month.…
Sierra Club: Duke's Asheville coal plant exceeding safe sulfur dioxide levels
This guest blog was written by Emma Greenbaum, who is the Sierra Club's Organizing Representative for North Carolina Beyond Coal in Asheville, NC. For the past several years, the Asheville Beyond Coal campaign has been speaking…
Duke Energy expecting $100 million fine in federal coal ash investigation
In a plea deal to match other major environmental disaster plea deals, Duke Energy appears to be expecting fines around $100 million to resolve, in part, the federal criminal investigation initiated after…
Gulf Power = Green Power? Utility leaps forward
Updated at 4:40pm ET, on February 16 to reflect correct solar capacity planned for military bases in Georgia Power's service territory. Gulf Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company and one of the smallest…
Kingston Residents Gather and Call for New Public Hearing on Proposed Coal Ash Landfill
To read supplemental comments on the proposed landfill submitted by environmental groups Feb. 9, 2015, click here. Thursday night, February 5th, more than 30 local residents of Kingston, TN joined together at…
1 year since Dan River: 3 ways to prevent another coal ash disaster
One year ago today, Duke Energy dumped nearly 39,000 tons of coal ash and 24 million gallons of wastewater into the Dan River near Eden, North Carolina. That's a total of 140,000 tons…