Tomorrow Arrives As Virginia Legislature Faces 30 Million Tons Of Toxic Coal Ash

Decades of burning coal to power Virginia have left the state with a toxic, 30-million-ton problem — one that lawmakers must contend with when they gather in Richmond this month. The disposal of mounds of coal ash stored underground near four Dominion Energy power plants has dogged the state for years. Now, at the urging of both environmental activists and Dominion, lawmakers appear bound to settle the question.

On the table is a hefty price tag to dig up and move the ash and unanswered questions about contamination resulting from the ponds if the ash is buried in place. More than half of the coal ash is stored in two ponds in Chesterfield County, near a power plant that borders a recreation area along the James River. The other ash pond sites are at Bremo Bluff in Fluvanna County, a closed power plant site in Chesapeake and at Possum Point in Prince William County.

Environmental activists — who have long opposed Dominion’s plan to drain the water from the ponds and then cover the remaining ash — come into the General Assembly with the support of Gov. Ralph Northam, who last week backed a proposal to recycle some of the ash and move the rest into a modern landfill.

The legislation will be carried by Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, and Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, who represent residents near Possum Point. Sen. Rosalyn Dance, D-Petersburg, who represents residents near the Chesterfield power plant, has said she anticipates aligning with the governor on the issue. The bill has not yet been filed.

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https://www.richmond.com/news/local/legislative-preview-the-fate-of-virginia-s-legacy-coal-ash/article_6da1cc00-4a4c-5dff-b705-7abc6d5df647.html