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Coal ash is the waste that remains when coal is burned. It is usually collected in a dump, known as a pond. North Carolina has more than 30 such sites in 14 different locations across the state. A pipe running under one of the ponds run by Duke Energy in Eden NC ruptured in February of 2014. The coal ash spilled, largely affecting the Dan River which flows into Virginia. The spill is the third largest of its kind in U.S. history.Many see potential complications because North Carolina's governor, Pat McCrory, worked for Duke Energy for 28 years.

Gov. McCrory: 'I Do Not Need To Veto This Budget, I'll Sign It'

Gov. Pat McCrory
www.governor.state.nc.us

Governor Pat McCrory says he approves of the legislature's spending plan for state and will sign the bill.

The Senate already passed the $21 billion budget bill today and the House will likely approve it Saturday morning.

Governor Pat McCrory touted the budget proposal at a press conference on Friday.

“We've got a 2.2 percent increase in the general fund budget with no tax increase, with teacher pay raises, no elimination of teachers assistants and we've kept the integrity of our Medicaid, I'm proud of it,” he said.

But the Governor also took time to note things that were not included in the budget bill. For example, in his plan, he wanted additional funding for school textbooks and to reward teachers who decide to pursue master's degrees.

McCrory also says he wants to move forward on a coal ash cleanup plan since lawmakers decided to delay legislation. He plans to sign an executive order to assess the ash ponds and drain water from four high-priority coal sites. 

“DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] will begin ground-water assessment of coal ash ponds of all 14 of Duke Energy’s facilities and these assessments are the first step toward closure of the coal ash ponds,” McCrory said. 

Reema Khrais joined WUNC in 2013 to cover education in pre-kindergarten through high school. Previously, she won the prestigious Joan B. Kroc Fellowship. For the fellowship, she spent a year at NPR where she reported nationally, produced on Weekends on All Things Considered and edited on the digital desk. She also spent some time at New York Public Radio as an education reporter, covering the overhaul of vocational schools, the contentious closures of city schools and age-old high school rivalries.
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