The Virginia side of the spill-- McAuliffe: Duke expected to pony up for coal ash spill

[theHandpuppet]

5. UPDATE: NC lawmakers pass coal ash legislation; adjourn very long short session

NC lawmakers pass coal ash legislation; adjourn very long short session
By ANDREW KENNEY
The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
August 21, 2014

(excerpt)
...Different versions of the coal ash legislation had passed the House and Senate earlier this summer, but the bill appeared all but dead before a surprising resurrection this week.

The impetus for the legislation came, in part, with widespread public backlash from the Dan River spill. The incident was a dramatic reminder of a simmering issue, highlighting that about 100 million tons of the substance sits in 33 open-air pits at 14 sites in North Carolina.

Speaking before the House Rules Committee, McGrady acknowledged criticism of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' response to this year's crisis, saying that the final bill won't allow the department to manage the commission that will hold much of the final say over the cleanup process.

"There's ongoing criminal investigations right now," McGrady said, referring to a U.S. Department of Justice probe of the department and its relationship with Duke. "The argument that the Senate made, which we understand, is that at least when we set this thing up, we need to keep it away from things that may have occurred in the past --- let it be set up in a neutral part of government."....

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/08/21/3631672/nc-lawmakers-pass-coal-ash-legislation.html#storylink=cpy