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From: NC League of Conservation Voters [mailto:cib @ncicv.org] <br />Sent: Monday, July 04, 2016 <br />To: Tom Davis <br />Subject: CIB 7/4/16: Session is officially over. What happened: <br />North Carolina League of. <br />t1 <br />CONSERVATION RVA:l'ION VOTE R S <br />"on ervation Insider Bulletin: July 4,, 2016 <br />The NC General Assembly has adjourned for the summer, but left an environmental mess <br />on its way out the door. That news, plus more positive items, this week in CIB: <br />,e ' t 9 "t ; � � � i � t <br />1,]nviron enl. <br />The good news is that they've gone home for the summer—we hope for the year. The bad news <br />is the mess they left on coal ash (again!) and other issues, including the budget. <br />Let's start with coal ash. In another late- session 'gut-and-stuff, the NC Senate took the already <br />weak HB 630, titled "Drinking Water Protection /Coal Ash Cleanup Act ", and replaced its <br />provisions with new contents that would neither clean up coal ash nor protect drinking water. <br />The new bill swiftly passed both chambers—despite outspoken opposition from environmentally <br />concerned legislators —and was sent to the governor as the General Assembly's latest gift to <br />power giant Duke Energy. The bill eliminates the Coal Ash Management Commission (which, <br />while flawed, served as some check on the anti - environmental leanings of the McCrory <br />environmental department leadership). It gives Duke over two years to begin providing safe <br />drinking water to residents whose wells have been contaminated by coal ash pollution. Worst of <br />all, it lets Duke off the hook altogether for cleanup of a full half of its coal ash pits, which can be <br />"capped in place" and left to leach pollution into ground and surface waters indefinitely. <br />NCLCV Director of Governmental Affairs <br />Dan Crawford said, "The anti -clean water <br />NC Senate has brokered yet another <br />sweetheart deal for Duke Energy. Right <br />now, there are families in North Carolina <br />who can't drink their own well water <br />because of coal ash pollution. When we say <br />these politicians put polluters over people, <br />this coal ash bill is exactly what we're <br />talking about." <br />