I first saw demonstrators at the Duke Energy building yesterday while delivering a sandwich to one of the floors above. The demonstrators were gathered around a man making an impromptu speech. They were repeating his words in shouted phrases–the “people’s mic,” a low-tech megaphone. Later I heard chanters yell, “No justice, no peace!” and “When the people are united, they will never be defeated!”
Groups of police officers and business people mostly stood by during the event, watching and chatting quietly in small groups.
Later I spoke to Luis Rodriguez of ActionNC who explained the protest was about the Dan River coal ash spill on Feb 2 and Duke Energy’s response.
Protestors held signs that read “Stop Duke’s toxic coal ash now!” and “No coal / No ash: / No Problem!” One sign colorfully suggested what the company could do with its “ash hole.”
Kara Dodson, the event organizer, listed 3 demands for the protest:
1. Clean up the coal ash spill from the Dan River steam station and restore the river to a healthy state.
2. Remove the ash at coal ash ponds at all 14 Duke Energy power plants in NC (including at the Dan) and store this ash in lined landfills away from surface waters and drinking water sources.
3. Duke must pay for this mess and the future removal of coal ash at all sites – this must not be paid for by the ratepayers.
Dodson is field coordinator for environmental advocacy group Appalachian Voices.
While Danville, VA authorities assured residents that drinking water is safe, river water levels for arsenic and other dangerous heavy metals were elevated. Environmentalists worry about the effect of settling ash on riverbed wildlife.
A well-reported Climate Progress report verifies Rodriguez’s statement about repeated lawsuits against Duke for its unlined ponds.
Rodriguez said that 1000 tons of waste leaked into the river, but even Duke Energy’s estimate is much higher: at least 50,000 tons of ash were estimated dumped before the leak was completely fixed. Rodriguez cited WSOC-TV (Ch.9), who originally listed the 73-pool figure. Even Duke Energy’s 20 to 32-pool estimate would indicate an unfortunate amount.
Duke CEO Lynn Good has indicated that the company plans to increase rates in order to move existing coal ash.
But the real kicker was the NC community where the incident occurred. The toxic waste was spilled in Eden.