When politicians and businesses want to avoid some environmental regulation, they often cite “inconclusive data” or “inconclusive evidence” as the reason to hold off on any oversight. It’s what Republicans routinely say about climate change, even though the data is, in fact, conclusive. And it’s what they said about the coal ash ponds that are now in the news.
Long before the spill, the ponds were causing problems. Under Democrats, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was starting to take notice, particularly after a spill in Tennessee in 2008. The Democratic controlled legislature began passing oversight procedures for the dams that contained the coal ash.
Unfortunately, the GOP take over of government ended the trend. When ground water was found to be contaminated near coal ash ponds, Duke said that the contamination might have come from elsewhere. Instead, of pushing back, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, basically said, “Ok. Well, pay us $100,000, figure out what to do about it and we’ll leave you alone.” Sounds a lot more like a wink and a nod than a resolution to the problem.
When the spill happened, Pat McCrory, DENR Secretary John Skvarla and the legislative leadership should have been out in force. Instead, McCrory has been a bit wish-washy, Skvarla has been outraged that anyone would even consider that DENR hadn’t done its job or that Duke might have to pay to move the ponds and House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate President Pro-tem Phil Berger have been absent.
There is no doubt that the coal ash ponds are polluting our state. There is, however, inconclusive evidence that our current government is willing to protect our citizens from the pollution of the nation’s largest utility.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
THIS REMINDS ME OF THE ARTICLE ABOUT THE WASTE FROM THE TAR SANDS CALLED “PETCOKE” THAT HAVE BEEN REFINED IN DETROIT AND THE CONTAMINATION OF LAKE ERIE. A KOCH BROS PROJECT!!!
THIS IS BEING KEPT A SECRET UNTIL THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE IS APPROVED!
What is to be done? When it comes to profit, the Republican party could care less about what that pursuit does to the environment, the nation, or the people. We continually see advantage given to those who only want more without regard to the consequences, since that is someone else’s problem.
Now Duke is going to cash in on their $300k worth of compaign donations to McCrory for Governor and his almost 3 decades of association with them as an employee and lackey.
Who knew so little could buy so much.
Couldn’t have said it better, Thomas. The citing of “inconclusive science” by politicians and businesses as an excuse for inaction is close to criminal. The 2012 passage of the NC sea level rise bill took that to its extreme. Pushed by the NC 20 development group, the NCGA ignored the state’s own expert panel’s forecast of a 39-inch in sea level by 2100, citing inconclusive science (although 97% of the world’s climatologists say SLR will happen). The bill orders no state agency forecasting or preparedness for SLR before 2016, requires that a new state report/forecast consider non-scientific notions/opinions and non-peer reviewed science, and must only consider linear models.
The spill occurred in Phil Berger’s backyard, where is he on all this?
We routinely refuse to regulate until a situation has proven to be harmful. Why not regulate until a situation is proven to be safe?