Republicans consistently claim that Americans need to start taking responsibility for the own circumstances and be accountable for their economic situations, but they reject that requirement as overbearing when their campaign donors’ are expected to assume accountability for their own financial predicaments. The GOP really exposed their double-standard for accountability when BP was expected to pay for cleaning up the environmental disaster their Deepwater drilling platform caused by decimating coastal areas in and around the Gulf of Mexico. Expecting accountability from the dirty energy sector led one oil industry Republican to apologize profusely to BP for President Obama’s demand the oil giant pay for the cleanup and restoration their malfeasance was responsible for. It is likely that if Republicans could have pulled it off, they would have raised taxes on Americans living in the affected areas to not only pay for the cleanup, but to reimburse BP for their time and expense to stop the oil from flowing into the sea. It may sound unbelievable, but North Carolina residents are going to have to pay to clean up years’ worth of toxic coal ash Governor Pat McCrory’s former employer, Duke Energy, has kept in waste pits after the dirty energy giant dumped tens-of-millions of gallons of poison into the Dan River last month when a pipe ruptured.
Late last week a judge ordered Duke Energy, the largest supplier of electricity in the United States, to address the devastating groundwater contamination at 33 of its coal ash storage lagoons at 14 sites across North Carolina. It is probable the judge’s fairly rapid order was prompted after Duke’s malfeasance dumped 35 million gallons of toxic coal ash and arsenic-contaminated water into the Dan River at Duke Energy’s power plant in Eden, North Carolina. Coal ash is waste left after burning coal that contains arsenic, mercury, lead, and over a dozen other heavy metals, most of which are toxic. Estimates are that it will cost Duke Energy a $1 billion to clean its coal ash waste pits in North Carolina after the 35 million gallon toxic coal slurry spill last month, but Duke has no intention of paying for their own malfeasance regardless a judge’s order. Duke Energy’s CEO said it is up to customers to pay for the cleanup and it is likely North Carolina’s Republican governor and 28-year Duke employee will instruct North Carolina Utilities Commission to determine how quickly customers will have to pay to clean up Duke’s toxic dumps.
Duke’s CEO Lynn Good said the company may carry costs for cleaning 70 miles of the Dan River now caked with toxic coal waste, but paying a billion dollars to clean up toxin-laden waste at the 14 other sites is the consumers’ responsibility. Good’s justification for making North Carolians pay for Duke’s misconduct is that “because that ash was created for the generation of electricity, we believe that ash-pond disposal costs are ultimately part of our cost structure.” However, the senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, Frank Holleman said “Duke has profited from doing the cheapest thing for decades, and it’s now time for them to pay the bill,” but with a 28 year Duke Energy employee as governor and a corrupt N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), it is unlikely Duke will pay a penny to clean up the toxic waste or 70 miles of the Dan River.
It was stunning the state judge ruled that Duke had to clear the storage ponds because three prior lawsuits challenging Duke’s toxic lagoons were all blocked by corrupt state regulators at the North Carolina DENR. In fact, last week, internal emails and other records uncovered through a public records request by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) revealed that corrupt regulators at the DENR knew about six Duke plants without permits back in 2009 in spite of being required for rainwater draining from the plants into public waterways.
Last week, the Associated Press filed a public records request for a copy of Duke’s storm water permit for the Dan River plant and was told that the permit did not exist. One of the lawyers for the SELC said “It is shocking that Duke Energy was openly violating the most fundamental requirements of clean water laws, and discharging industrial storm water directly into the Dan River illegally,” and it is likely why federal prosecutors issued subpoenas to Duke and DENR investigating the cozy relationship between Duke and the state environmental agency tasked with regulating it. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has little power to help North Carolina residents because House Republicans passed several pieces of legislation banning the federal agency from inspecting, regulating, or interfering with dirty energy companies poisoning air and water in the states.
North Carolina residents’ air and water has been under a sustained attack from not only Duke Energy, Governor Pat McCrory, and the corrupt Department of Environment and Natural Resources, but the Koch brothers and American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) as well. In fact, in concert with the Kochs and ALEC, another former Duke Energy engineer and North Carolina Representative Mike Hager introduced ALEC legislation (HB 298), “Electricity Freedom Act,” in the state’s General Assembly that fully repeals North Carolina’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS); a state law requiring utilities to generate more electricity from clean sources over time that is credited with contributing to the rapid growth of the clean energy sector in North Carolina.
The state’s clean energy sector is responsible for lower monthly electrical bills, cleaner air and water, and sent North Carolina to second place in the nation for job announcements with stronger growth in the clean-jobs industry continuing in the first quarter. Lower monthly bills, cleaner air and water, and stronger than most state job growth is good for North Carolina but the Kochs, ALEC, Duke employee McCrory, and ALEC Republicans are on the verge of eliminating the renewable energy sector and forcing residents to pay a billion dollars to clean up Duke’s toxic mess.
One is inclined to feel empathy for environmentally poisoned North Carolina residents, but they did enthusiastically elect former Duke employees as Republican governor and state legislators who work for the Koch brothers and ALEC. North Carolina is the state Americans should look at for a vision of America in the very, very near future when the Kochs and ALEC own and control the government. Everything Republicans, Duke Energy, the Kochs, and ALEC have achieved in North Carolina is being heavily promoted in Congress and every state in the union. Americans are responsible for the devastation Republican attacks on environmental protections have wrought because they are as disinterested in poisoned air and water as North Carolina residents are at having to pay a billion dollars to clean up Duke Energy’s 14 toxic dumps.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
You cant make this shit up and what’s sad is the baggers will go along with it. You get what you vote for and no you cant blame it on the inner city
Another case of having voted against their own best interests. Hopefully other states learn something from this.
I have no faith that my completely red and ALEC owned State legislators will learn anything except to be more discreet in their war on the ordinary citizen who they are suppose to represent with due diligence. Geez, I’m so tired of these folks who see no need to protect the environment for future generations, but scream bloody murder that it is for the future generations that we need to be austere and thus cut social programs. Bunch of BS.
I am done blaming ALEC, the Koch Brothers, the Heritage Foundation, etc.
Now, I blame my willfully-ignorant, fellow Electorate “peers.”
How dare voters throw knowledge, learning, curiosity, and communal responsibility in the dustbin.
But for catastrophically-ignorant voters, the Reichwing and our Corporate oligarchy would be powerless.
Thank you for another excellent article.
I just wish there was a TV channel that spent time on this type of corrupt government stealing the money from the taxpayers, while slashing programs that are important to the majority of his constituents (like affordable health care, unemployment, SNAP, education, etc. etc.), so everyone could wake up and stop closing their eyes to the destruction of America and the American dream.
We’re more likely to hear of Justin Beaver’s latest escapade than the real life issues that are happening now (min wage, OT, stories like this)- which are turning us all into slaves for our corporate masters … for pennies on the dollar.
Republicans shit in our faces and want us to eat it with their filthy water.
Sadly this will not be reported in the news NC truthfully. The uninformed patsies will once again vote rethug and their air, water and land will become destroyed. We’ve seen how Texas is becoming a wasteland. You get what you vote for and when you don’t do your civic duty and homework to find out who you’re elected officail represents and who’s giving them donations. The NCers get all they deserve if they don’t vote these Pope/Koch owned legislators out of office.
I would say this is a good thing, but on the other hand I know NC isnt smart enough to stop electing republicans
Since the river goes back and forth from Virginia and NC, is any of this ending up in Virginia? How does one state feel about having its rights violated by another state (or entity wholly within that state)? Or does good-ole-boyness just reign supreme?
That waste will find its way downriver sooner or later.
I am beginning to think it’s “live for today and to hell with tomorrow.” Greed is and does terrible things.
There has been a FRENZY in NC to stack the state with carpet baggers for years now. The people that think just a vote can do anything should do a little homework and actually find out for themselves how the state has been STOLEN and by people with ideas and ties from outside the state. Along with a lot of help from the Supreme Court and the other greedy crooks. Its easy enough to look up the politicians that are running the state and its easy to see how much money it took to get them in place. And to some extent where the money came from and where the politicians are really from. Certainly not many natives in the top.
I can see “the party” getting together making their plans to do it to the ignorant rubes again. Look up the names and “religions” of the media. But they all use religion as a tool to get to people that have been brainwashed to believe the word God means anything to these types..their only real god is greed.
I wonder if NC voters will get smarter from their contaminated water, air and everything else. Getting rid of Tbaggers has to be the number one priority in order to rescue people and the environment and the country from the jaws of the craziness and greed preying on us all.
This is the Perfect example of GOPee Economics.
Private PROFITS made at the Public’s EXPENSE.
Here I am on the scene, yet hamstrung; t’is a pity, methinks.
I vote GOPT-bagger because pic.twitter.com/Pmwog112TA
Before anyone paints NC with a bright red brush, let me remind you that NC cities for the most part are reliably blue, my own town deep blue…we DID NOT vote for the gov or his GOP cronies, yet we get to suffer from their criminal behaviors. GOP promptly gerrymandered districts to grab power (both figurative & literal), Gov Pat promptly fired many long time environmental board members across NC, hired incompetent newbs, denied millions health care access, cut unemployment benefits, slashed educators salaries, eliminated tenure, stopped extra pay to teachers with advanced degrees, and in general screwed up just about every good thing we had accomplished in the last 40 years. Yes some of the Duke Energy stuff happened under recent Dem govs, but those folks are gone from public office, & that’s no excuse for GOP in charge now! Begging all to help us elect SANE folks and counter the millions sent to NC from out of state that funded GOP in power by LYING. I LOVE my NC! Help us!
The corporate gang at Duke are among the highest compensated corporate gangsters in America.
Duke’s Leaking Ash Pond Continue To Kill and Maim