RALEIGH -- The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, released its draft proposed classifications for all coal ash impoundments in North Carolina. The classification process is an important step in cleaning up coal ash to protect the environment and ratepayers, and will determine the deadline for when each impoundment must be closed.

“Thanks to Governor McCrory’s leadership and the hard work of dedicated DEQ staff, North Carolina is well on its way to permanently eliminating the decades-old threat of improperly stored coal ash,” said DEQ Secretary Donald R. van der Vaart. “DEQ’s draft classifications are the result of months of review of scientific information about each coal ash pond’s impact to the environment and public health.”

North Carolina’s coal ash law requires DEQ to make its draft classifications available by Dec. 31, release within 30 days a comprehensive report that details the reasoning behind each classification, and execute a robust public process that includes a public meeting in each county where a coal ash facility is located. The information gathered through the public participation process will help inform the department’s final proposed classifications.

“I am proud of our staff’s tremendous work over the last several months in reviewing all of the available scientific data and continuously updating the classifications as more information was provided,” said Tom Reeder, assistant secretary for the Environment at DEQ. “These draft proposed classifications are rooted in environmental science and will only be finalized after considering public comments. DEQ is committed to upholding the integrity of the coal ash law by making decisions based exclusively on science and public comment.”

Coal ash ponds designated as high-risk must be excavated and closed by December 2019; intermediate-risk ponds must be excavated and closed by December 2024; and low-risk ponds must be closed by December 2029. Impoundments were given a range if Duke did not provide sufficient information in a timely manner for DEQ to determine a specific priority level. DEQ will modify the draft classifications once it completes its review of data submitted by Duke in late December.

“I am disappointed that special interest groups attempted to corrupt the process by leaking an early draft that was based on incomplete data,” van der Vaart continued. “The draft classifications released today reflect the latest environmental science.”

To read the Executive Summary of the Draft Proposed Impoundment Classifications, click here.

To watch DEQ Assistant Secretary Tom Reeder’s videotaped statement, click here.

To read a Frequently Asked Questions document, click here.

For a map of draft classifications for each coal ash impoundment, click here.