"State lawmakers this week agreed to stretch out a regulatory review of Dominion Virginia Power’s plan to permanently store coal ash at four sites, including in Chesapeake. Environmental groups are hoping the extra time will enable a closer look at pollution risks from keeping the ash in place and at alternatives like recycling or moving it to lined landfills.

But assessments planned by Dominion to help state regulators decide next year if the cap-in-place proposals are still sound may not include most of the ash stored at the Chesapeake site, the company has indicated.

If that’s the case, the Chesapeake assessment – and any state decision that it contributes to – would be deeply flawed, said Deborah Murray, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center. The Charlottesville-based group represents the Sierra Club in a federal lawsuit against Dominion over the ash at the Chesapeake Energy Center, along the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River."

Dave Mayfield reports for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot April 6, 2017. [2]