Feds investigate N.C. coal ash spill
RALEIGH, N.C. - Federal authorities have launched a criminal investigation into a massive coal ash spill into the Dan River.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Raleigh
issued a grand jury subpoenas demanding records from Duke Energy and the North
Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The subpoenas seek
emails, memos and reports from 2010 through the Feb. 2 spill.
The Associated Press obtained a copy
on Thursday of the subpoena issued to the state. A Duke spokesman confirmed the
company had also received one.
The spill at a Duke Energy plant in
Eden spewed enough toxic sludge into the river to fill 73 Olympic-sized pools.
It was the third-largest coal ash spill in U.S. history.
Prosecutors ordered the state
environmental agency's chief lawyer to appear next month before a grand jury.