CHARLOTTE, NC – More questions than answers Monday night about Duke Energy’s plan to bring a coal ash landfill to the airport.
Charlotte city council heard more about the plan From Duke Energy and Chara, Inc., the company that would be responsible for transporting and storing coal ash.
City council members seemed very skeptical, but still voted unanimously for the city to move forward with what’s called a “due diligence” process. Council members say they want answers about Duke’s proposal to move 4 million tons of ash from the Riverbend Coal Ash Pond to Charlotte-Douglas International.
“Would you rather have it sitting on the bank of your drinking water reservoir, slowly oozing into your drinking water, or potentially in a lined unit at the airport?” said Rick Gaskins, Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation executive director.
Chara reps say groundwater will be protected by a “coal ash burrito”–meaning the ash would be wrapped inside a liner underground.
“Coal ash is very corrosive. There’s a lot of chemicals in it in addition to ash, so we want to make sure they’re not going to use a liner that the ash could eat through,” said Sam Perkins, Catawba Riverkeeper.
City council members questioned if the plan is environmentally safe and how much it will cost.
Despite their skepticism, they did agree on one thing.
“Get it off the water. Is the airport the option? No, nothing is an option until we determine where, what, and when, but get if off the water,” said councilwoman Claire Fallon.
Perkins says containing the coal ash at the airport would still threaten Sugar Creek and other small creeks that feed the northern part of Lake Wylie.
“The nearby neighborhoods could be impacted, the neighborhoods that the trucks drive through, if they use trucks, would be impacted, and potentially all the communities that are downstream,” said Gaskins.
City staff has about 60 days to do a due diligence report on the risks and benefits of the proposal. They’ll work with Duke and environmental, legal, and economic experts to conduct the study. There’s no word on how much the study will cost.
