Maryland To Fight Dominion Plan To Release Coal-Ash Water Into VA Creek

"Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh’s office said Monday that it plans to fight a plan by the Dominion Virginia Power company to release about 215 million gallons of treated coal-ash water into a creek that connects to the Potomac River.

The plan at the utility company’s Possum Point power plant was approved last month by Virginia’s water control board over opposition from critics who argue that the standards for water treatment in Dominion’s permit are not stringent enough to protect fish and other wildlife in the area.

““I am deeply concerned that untreated or improperly treated coal ash could be deposited in the Potomac River,” Frosh said in an emailed statement. “Residents in the Washington region look to leaders in Virginia and Maryland to safeguard their natural resources, and the Potomac is a treasure that must be protected. Any plan to dump waste in the river needs heightened scrutiny and rigorous analysis.”"

Antonio Olivo reports for the Washington Post February 15, 2016.