Coal ash is the toxic byproduct of burning coal and remains stored inside eight ponds across the state. More than half of the ash remains buried inside two storage ponds in Chesterfield County, near a power plant that borders a recreation area along the James River.

Dominion Energy in November estimated the cost of excavating and recycling the ash at roughly $5.7 billion, a cost that would be passed on to ratepayers across the state. The utility has long sought to cap the ponds in place while monitoring the surrounding groundwater, citing the cost of removing it and the impact to the neighborhoods surrounding the ponds.

“We will review the legislation when it’s filed and as it goes through the committee process,” Dominion spokesman Dan Genest said in a statement. “In our coal ash report to the General Assembly in December, we laid out several options that included recycling as part of our management plan. So, we share some common ground.”

Lee Francis, deputy director at the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, called Northam’s announcement a “huge step forward.”

“It’s important that the worst option on the table, which would have left coal ash in place at the risk of contaminating our public waterways, is now off the table,” Francis said. “It’s a step forward for clean water.”