After state officials met with the company's chief lobbyist, the state environmental agency used its authority to file environmental violations against all of Duke's coal ash pits in North Carolina.

The agency, represented in court by the office of Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper, then quickly proposed a settlement that would have fined Duke $99,111 over pollution at two of its plants with no requirement that the $50 billion company take action to clean up its pollution.

Environmentalists criticized the deal, which they contend was intended to shield the company from harsher penalties it would have likely faced in federal court.

The state agency withdrew from its proposed agreement with Duke following increased public scrutiny in the wake of the Feb. 2 massive coal ash spill at Duke Eden plant that coated 70 miles of the Dan River.

In January and March, the environmental law group filed motions to intervene in the enforcement cases, but Duke opposed the groups' intervention, Holleman said.

Now the coalition, which includes Appalachian Voices, Waterkeeper Alliance and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, will have access to the same documents as the state and Duke.

But more importantly, they will have "equal footing to make arguments and present the evidence and present the view of the local community so that those voices will be heard every bit as much as Duke's and DENR's," he said.