"Deal Still Not Reached on NC Coal Ash Bill"

"RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina lawmakers said Thursday they still haven't reached agreement on legislation requiring Duke Energy to limit pollution leaking from its coal ash dumps across the state, nearly six months after a spill coated 70 miles of the Dan River with gray sludge.

Republicans in the House and Senate signaled earlier that a compromise bill would be ready for a vote by Thursday evening, but later conceded negotiations had broken down.

The Senate version includes firm deadlines for Duke to clean up or cap its 33 ash dumps and creates a commission to oversee the process, with legislators appointing the majority of the seats. The House is pushing to give more oversight authority to the administration of Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican who worked at Duke for 29 years."

Michael Biesecker and Mitch Weiss report for the Associated Press July 31, 2014.