State Signs
Unusual Environmental Clean Up Plan
|
 State environmental regulators
have reached an agreement with eight North
Carolina manufactured gas plant owners to hasten
the clean up of 27 abandoned coal gas operation
sites across the state. Under the innovative
agreement, the gas plant site owners together
will pay the state $425,000 to fund the salaries
of two Division of Waste Management engineers who
will work exclusively on coal tar cleanup for
three years. In return, the industries can
accelerate their cleanup schedules by having
qualified state personnel devoted to reviewing
their work.
The agreement between the state Department of
Environment and Natural Resources and the N.C.
Manufactured Gas Plant Group is the state's first
effort with directly funded state oversight.
Using the funding provided by the parties, the
state can hire staff dedicated to the assessment
and cleanup of these sites without any cost to
taxpayers. Prior to the agreement, the division
lacked the resources to oversee these cleanups
within a reasonable time. Second, this is the
first cleanup planned between the division and a
group of responsible parties with multiple sites.
Ralph Roberts, NC MGP chairman said,
"Negotiating one master agreement for all of
the MGP sites saves the division and the MGP
Group members' time and money compared to
negotiating 27 separate agreements. More
importantly, having two division engineers
dedicated to our sites will permit us to move
forward with site cleanups. This will allow group
members to remove liabilities from our books and
put these properties back into productive uses.
This agreement is good for the division,
taxpayers, NC MGP Group members and the
communities where the former MGP sites are
located."
The unusual agreement came about when division
officials suggested the various companies that
owned abandoned coal gas plants conduct voluntary
cleanups. The companies formed their own industry
group, NC MGP, to negotiate with the division.
The pact commits all group members to assessments
and necessary remediations at each site. If three
years is insufficient, those members with
incompletely cleaned sights can renew the
agreement, and provide additional funds for
continued oversight. The division has agreed to
prioritize cleanup operations in order to
concentrate on sites with the highest
environmental threats.
"I think that we have found something with
this direct funding approach," said Bruce
Nicholson, head of the division's Special
Remediation Branch. "The group had no
problem funding oversight positions because they
wanted state oversight as much as we did. This
allows us to get these sites cleaned sooner with
less cost to taxpayers."
Group members include Duke Power, Carolina Power
and Light, Public Service Co. of North Carolina,
NUI North Carolina Gas (formerly Pennsylvania and
Southern Gas), Piedmont Natural Gas, Greenville's
Utilities Commission, and the cities of Rocky
Mount and Wilson.
Manufactured gas plants processed coal to create
coal gas, which was used before natural gas rose
to popularity in the 1950s. The by-product, coal
tar, was either sold, placed in on-site pits
which have since been abandoned, or simply dumped
into nearby stream beds. Over time, the coal tar,
which contains carcinogenic constituents, has
migrated through both soil and ground water. The
cleanup will involve remove large volumes of
contaminated soil, water, and, potentially,
stream bed sediment.
State Plans Hearings on Water Supply Plan
The state Department of Environment and
Natural Resources is seeking public input on a
draft of the first ever State Water Supply Plan
for North Carolina. The non-regulatory plan,
mandated by the 1989 General Assembly, describes
the major water supply issues facing state and
local governments now and over the next decade
and strategies for addressing these issues.
"For the first time we have a statewide
review of what areas of the state are facing
problems with having an adequate water supply and
what we need to do to meet these future
needs," said Bill Holman, secretary of the
department. "If we are to ensure that all
North Carolinians continue to have enough water,
we must look at the entire state and coordinate
the efforts of all our co mmunities."
The plan includes four recommendations:
1. Ground water withdrawals should be regulated
in the 15-county Central Coastal Plain to ensure
that these aquifers remain a productive,
high-quality, sustainable water supply for the
region.
2. Water systems using on average more than 80
percent of their available supply should actively
manage their water demand and pursue additional
water supplies.
3. All water systems should have a Water Shortage
Response Plan to reduce the likelihood of serious
effects during a drought or other water shortage.
4. Local governments are encouraged to seek
regional water supply solutions where feasible,
since increasing costs and regulatory
requirements for new water supplies and treatment
facilities make it less practical for communities
to act independently to meet future water supply
needs.
The plan, a compilation of more than 500 detailed
local water supply plans, pulls together
information that local governments should
consider when planning their future water supply
needs. It also provides current and projected
water supply and demand information through 2020
for local systems. An atlas-style series of river
basin summaries provides basin-specific
information about factors affecting water demand,
water use by type, and general water availability
for each of the major river basins in the state.
Several informational meetings will be held
across the state in late June to answer questions
about water supply planning and to receive
comments and suggestions about the draft plan.
Interested parties are encouraged to review the
plan at the N.C. Division of Water Resources web
site at www.dwr.ehnr.state.nc.us/wsas/nc_swsp.htm. Anyone wishing to comment on
the plan should send questions and suggestions to
swsp@dwr.ehnr.state.nc.us or the Water Supply Planning
Section, Division of Water Resources, 1611 Mail
Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1611, or call
919-733-4064. The final State Water Supply Plan,
including updated local water supply plan
information, will be released by November 2000.
School Merger Suit:
Lawyers for the Kings Mountain school board asked
a state administrative law judge to block a plan,
approved last week by the State Board of
Education, that would lead to the merger of
Cleveland County's three school systems. Kings
Mountain claims the merger plan is invalid and
that the State Board of Education exceeded its
authority when it approved the merger June 1.
Kings Mountain school officials contend Gaston
County must first approve the merger because part
of the Kings Mountain district is in Gaston
County. But Cleveland County, which supports the
merger, counters that the Kings Mountain district
was never officially extended into Gaston County
and approval there is unnecessary. State Board of
Education Chairman Phil Kirk said the board
agrees with Cleveland County.
Economic Development News: Two
of the state's most economically distressed
counties got some good news recently.
* FCC Co. Ltd., a Japanese company, broke ground
for a Scotland County plant that will create 125
jobs over the next three years. The company is
building a $19 million plant to produce clutches
for motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and for
automatic transmissions for cars. The company
will occupy a 75,000-square-foot facility and
expects to be fully operational by April 2001.
* Reser's Fine Foods held a ceremonial
groundbreaking for a 180,000-square-foot food
production and distribution center in Halifax
County. The company, which makes and sells over
50 different kinds of potato salads, is investing
$18 million and plans to hire 320 workers over
the next three years.
Both companies are eligible for the maximum state
tax credits because they are locating in Tier 1
counties.
Flying in the state helicopter to the Scotland
County groundbreaking ceremony, Commerce
Secretary Rick Carlisle and other state officials
got a terrible scare when two Army helicopters
suddenly appeared. The state helicopter had to
make an emergency descent to avoid a mid-air
collision. Observers said Carlisle appeared
visibly shaken after the state helicopter landed
safely.
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