When we think of scumbag governors we think of criminals and pedophiles and in other words Republicans like war criminal George W Bush, serial killer Rick the closet fairy Perry, Medicare fraudster Rick Scott, Arnold the pedophile Schwarzenegger, Serial cheater and wife abuser Mark Sanford, criminal Chris Christie bribe taker Bob McDonald of Virginia, the many scandals of Wisconsin Criminal Governor Scott Walker , Nikki Haley facing an ethics investigation, serial liar and slut Sarah Palin, criminal liar Paul Lepage of Miane, Governor Tax Cheat Romney and scandalous John Kasich to name a few.
Duke Energy was in a bind.
North Carolina regulators had for years allowed the nation's largest power company to pollute the ground near its plants without penalty. But in early 2013, a coalition of environmental groups sued to force Duke to clean up nearly three dozen leaky coal ash dumps spread across the state.
So last summer, Duke Energy turned to North Carolina lawmakers for help.
Documents and interviews collected by The Associated Press show how Duke's lobbyists prodded Republican legislators to tuck a 330-word provision in a regulatory reform bill running nearly 60 single-spaced pages. Though the bill never once mentions coal ash, the change allowed Duke to avoid any costly cleanup of contaminated groundwater leaching from its unlined dumps toward rivers, lakes and the drinking wells of nearby homeowners.
"For decades, Democrats have stifled small businesses and job creators with undue bureaucratic burden and red tape," McCrory said at the time. "This common-sense legislation cuts government red tape, axes overly burdensome regulations, and puts job creation first here in North Carolina."
Environmentalists saw the legislation, and its little-noticed provision benefiting Duke, differently.
"This sweeping change gutted North Carolina's groundwater law," recounts D.J. Gerken, a senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.
The level of coordination between Duke and North Carolina's lawmakers and regulators had long been of concern to environmentalists. But when a Duke dump ruptured on Feb. 2 — spewing enough coal ash to coat 70 miles of the Dan River with toxic sludge — the issue took on new urgency.
Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the spill, issuing at least 23 grand jury subpoenas to Duke executives and state officials.
Los Angeles Times
The first batch of subpoenas were issued the day after an AP story raised questions about whether North Carolina regulators had helped shield Duke from a coalition of environmental groups that wanted to sue under the U.S. Clean Water Act to force the company to clean up its coal ash pollution.
Physicians for Social Responsibility Explain the Dangers of Coal Ash Ponds
Physicians for Social Responsibility Explain the Dangers of Coal Ash Ponds
Still, regulators alone could not protect the company from its huge liability if the environmental groups persevered in court. So Duke officials lobbied — successfully — to change state law, itself.
Their vehicle was the Regulatory Reform Act. And they took aim at a provision that had been on the books for decades, requiring Duke to halt the source of contamination if its subterranean plumes of pollution crept more than 500 feet from its ash dumps.
North Carolina's 14 coal-fired plants have 33 waste pits. Each is surrounded by a "compliance boundary," with monitoring wells tracking the spread of underground pollution.
A compliance boundary is like an early warning system. If groundwater contamination inside the line exceeds state environmental standards, a company is supposed to take corrective action. The goal is to stop the spread of pollution to neighboring properties, as well as rivers and streams.
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UPDATE: In 2012 the Charlotte Observer reported that all 14 of the coal-fired power plants in the state of North Carolina are leaking toxic metals into our groundwater. Coal ash ponds, which store the byproducts of burning coal, contain carcinogens and heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, iron manganese, sulfate, chromium, boron, selenium and chloride. - See more at: http://quitcoal.org/category/topics/water-pollution-and-overuse-coal-plants#sthash.j1oTP5CT.dpuf
Ann Maynard Gray
Chairman of the Board
Former Vice President, ABC Inc. and Former President, Diversified Publishing Group of ABC Inc.
Member, Compensation Committee
Chair, Corporate Governance Committee
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 1994
William (Bill) Barnet III
President and Chief Executive Officer, Barnet Development Corp.
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2005
G. Alex Bernhardt Sr.
Chairman, Bernhardt Furniture Company
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 1991
Michael G. Browning
Chairman, Browning Investments, Inc.
Member, Audit Committee
Member, Corporate Governance Committee
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 1990
Harris E. DeLoach, Jr.Executive Chairman, Sonoco Products Company
Member, Corporate Governance Committee
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2006
Daniel R. DiMicco
Chairman Emeritus, Nucor Corporation
Member, Corporate Governance Committee
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2007
John H. Forsgren
Retired Vice Chairman, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Northeast Utilities
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2009
Lynn J. GoodVice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Duke Energy Corporation
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2013
James H. Hance Jr.
Retired Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, Bank of America
Member, Audit Committee
Member, Compensation Committee
Chair, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2005
John T. Herron
Retired President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nuclear Officer, Entergy Nuclear
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2013
James B. Hyler, Jr.Managing Director, Investors Management Corporation
Member, Audit Committee
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2008
William E. Kennard
Senior Advisor, Grain Management
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2014
E. Marie McKeePresident, Corning Museum of Glass
Member,Audit Committee
Chair, Compensation Committee
Member, Corporate Governance Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 1999
E. James Reinsch
Retired Senior Vice President and Partner, Bechtel Group and Past President, Bechtel Nuclear
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2009
James T. Rhodes
Retired Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Chair, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2001
Carlos A. Saladrigas
Chairman, Regis HR Group, Concordia Healthcare Holdings, LLC
Chair, Audit Committee
Member, Compensation Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2001
Philip R. Sharp
President, Resources for the Future
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Chair, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2007
Board of Directors For Puke Energy
Ann Maynard GrayChairman of the Board
Former Vice President, ABC Inc. and Former President, Diversified Publishing Group of ABC Inc.
Member, Compensation Committee
Chair, Corporate Governance Committee
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 1994
William (Bill) Barnet IIIPresident and Chief Executive Officer, Barnet Development Corp.
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2005
G. Alex Bernhardt Sr.Chairman, Bernhardt Furniture Company
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 1991
Michael G. BrowningChairman, Browning Investments, Inc.
Member, Audit Committee
Member, Corporate Governance Committee
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 1990
Harris E. DeLoach, Jr.Executive Chairman, Sonoco Products CompanyMember, Corporate Governance Committee
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2006
Daniel R. DiMiccoChairman Emeritus, Nucor Corporation
Member, Corporate Governance Committee
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2007
John H. ForsgrenRetired Vice Chairman, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Northeast Utilities
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2009
Lynn J. GoodVice Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Duke Energy CorporationDirector of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2013
James H. Hance Jr.Retired Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, Bank of America
Member, Audit Committee
Member, Compensation Committee
Chair, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2005
John T. HerronRetired President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nuclear Officer, Entergy Nuclear
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2013
James B. Hyler, Jr.Managing Director, Investors Management CorporationMember, Audit Committee
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2008
William E. KennardSenior Advisor, Grain Management
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2014
E. Marie McKeePresident, Corning Museum of GlassMember,Audit Committee
Chair, Compensation Committee
Member, Corporate Governance Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 1999
E. James ReinschRetired Senior Vice President and Partner, Bechtel Group and Past President, Bechtel Nuclear
Member, Finance and Risk Management Committee
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2009
James T. RhodesRetired Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations
Chair, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2001
Carlos A. SaladrigasChairman, Regis HR Group, Concordia Healthcare Holdings, LLC
Chair, Audit Committee
Member, Compensation Committee
Member, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2001
Philip R. SharpPresident, Resources for the Future
Member, Nuclear Oversight Committee
Chair, Regulatory Policy and Operations Committee
Director of Duke Energy or its predecessor companies since 2007
