"Duke Energy’s plan to dig up 12 more coal ash ponds, announced Tuesday, means the company now aims to excavate 24 of its 36 ponds in the Carolinas.

An environmental advocate who slammed Duke’s ash handling before and after a spill into the Dan River last year applauded the move, which will transfer ash to lined disposal sites.

The dozen ponds in Eastern North Carolina that Duke identified Tuesday are 'heavy polluters and they’re in extremely dangerous locations,' said Frank Holleman of the Southern Environmental Law Center. 'This is a long, long way from where we started in 2012 when utilities said they would never do this.'"

Bruce Henderson reports for the Charlotte Observer June 23, 2015. [2]