"Virginia’s toxic legacy of storing coal ash in unlined pits near Chesapeake Bay rivers could be put to rest by a bill that now has bipartisan support.

Under legislation backed Thursday by a bipartisan group of legislators, Gov. Ralph Northam and Dominion Energy, the utility would have to fully excavate at least four coal ash impoundments around Virginia where the ash is currently stored. The ash would need to be recycled into concrete-making materials or safely landfilled within 15 years, according to the legislation.

Dominion maintains more than 11 coal ash ponds and six coal ash landfills totaling about 27 million cubic yards of ash. The plan would require the company to recycle a minimum of nearly 7 million cubic yards by the 15-year mark and to seal the rest in approved landfills. Coal ash, the byproduct of burning coal for power, can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and mercury, which have in some cases leached into the surrounding groundwater."

Whitney Pipkin reports for the Bay Journal January 28, 2019. [2]