News-Record.com

Back in April I wrote about coal ash ponds, which contain some of the waste produced by coal-fired power plants. There's a small one (only eight acres) up in Eden, and about dozen more throughout the state. These are smaller versions of the thing that the TVA lost control of in December, causing an environmental catastrophe in Tennessee.

Background here.

At the time, part of the story involved legislative efforts to regulate these things, which got a great deal of push-back from the utilities companies such as Duke Power and Progress Energy. Smarter men than I have opined that maybe, just maybe, the state needs to get a better handle on these things.

Well, step one toward that regulation may come in the state budget the House puts out this month.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural and Economic Resources is considering a special provision - a piece of law attached to the budget - that would remove coal ash damns exemptions from the state's dam safety act.

Currently, utility companies are responsible for inspecting their own dams that hold back coal ash from spilling into local water ways. While they file a report with the Public Utilities Commission, the dams don't get a state inspection.

The measure would also move $200,000 per year from the Public Utilities Commission to the Department of Environmental Resources to pay for dam inspections.

The measure would not hit all the points in a bill championed by Greensboro Democratic Rep. Pricey Harrison, but its first step, she said.

"It seemed like the immediate need was to remove the exemption," Harrison said.

The House budget is a long way from its final form. And even after it has passed, the House, Senate and governor have to craft a final compromise version. So there's no guarantee that this provision will stay in there.