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SB 517

Relating to county sales of lands.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Court Boice and 1 co-sponsor

The bill creates a one-time $1 million pilot by DEQ to assess and remediate up to five high-risk pre-2014 coal combustion product structural fill sites and take immediate actions a

In committee upon adjournment.
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Bill Summary · SB 517

SB 517 — Structural Fill Remediation Pilot (Summary)

Status: Introduced (First edition filed 2023). Effective date in text: July 1, 2023.
Subject areas: environment, waste management, remediation, appropriations, infrastructure.

Main purpose

Authorize and fund a time‑limited pilot program to assess and perform initial remediation on high‑risk coal combustion product (CCP) structural fill sites—particularly sites where CCPs were placed before North Carolina’s Coal Ash Management Act of 2014—and to prioritize, stabilize, and where necessary, initiate corrective actions at failing fills that pose risks to public health, safety, or the environment.

Key provisions

  • Appropriation: $1,000,000 in nonrecurring funds for FY 2023–24 to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to run the pilot.
  • Study/scope:
    • DEQ will study CCP structural‑fill sites managed under: (a) Division of Waste Management rules (.1700, Subchapter 13B); (b) Division of Water Quality rules (.1200, Subchapter 2T as of 2014); and (c) sites placed under Distribution of Residual Solids permits issued under G.S. 143‑215.1(d).
    • Compile existing site uses, conditions and cap/stability inspection data; and where inspections show deficiencies, conduct site assessments including groundwater and surface‑water testing as needed.
  • Immediate corrective authority: DEQ may perform immediate corrective actions (e.g., restore protective cover, remove ash from streams) where a present risk is found, prior to formal remedial planning.
  • Remediation pilot: DEQ may select up to five sites for further remedial action based on criteria (see below).
  • Site selection criteria (non‑exclusive): known risk to public health/environment; potential for airborne/subsurface exposure; property owner’s ability to contribute; ash source; age of fill; current or potential end use of property.
  • Reporting: interim report by April 1, 2024; final report by December 1, 2024, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural & Economic Resources and to the Fiscal Research Division. Reports to summarize activities, list selected sites, describe work undertaken, and may include recommendations for a permanent CCP site program.
  • Administration: DEQ may add up to two time‑limited positions to carry out the pilot. Appropriated funds are nonreverting (remain available to complete the study and projects).

Who is affected

  • State agencies: DEQ (lead) and its Divisions of Waste Management and Water Quality.
  • Property owners of pre‑2014 CCP structural fill sites.
  • Nearby communities and water bodies potentially impacted by failing CCP fills.
  • Power/utility companies and other original CCP generators insofar as source and owner contribution are considered.

Potential impact and intent

  • Short term: prioritize and stabilize the most hazardous pre‑2014 CCP structural fill sites; reduce immediate risks (erosion, stormwater failures, ash in streams) to public health and the environment.
  • Long term: produce data and recommendations to inform whether a permanent, funded program is needed to identify, monitor, and remediate legacy CCP structural fill sites statewide.
  • Fiscal: one‑time $1 million appropriation plus limited personnel costs; pilot is designed to be an initial assessment/remediation step rather than a full statewide cleanup program.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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