Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation Wednesday requiring the safe disposal of more than 27 million cubic yards of coal ash from unlined ponds in Virginia, including a pond at the Possum Point Power Station near Dumfries.

The new law requires the closure and removal of coal ash within the Chesapeake Bay watershed to lined landfills on site, with at least 25 percent recycled.

“The potential risks to public health and water quality posed by unlined coal ash ponds in the Commonwealth are far too great for us to continue with business as usual,” Northan said. “This historic, bipartisan effort sets a standard for what we can achieve when we work together, across party lines, in the best interest of all Virginians. I am proud to sign this legislation into law.”

“This legislation, which is a result of four years of persistent work by Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks and our Virginia partners, is an historic step to solve the serious and lingering pollution problem of legacy coal ash,” said Nancy Stoner, president of Potomac Riverkeeper Network. “The bill, signed today by Governor Northam, requires that all legacy coal ash in the commonwealth be recycled or safely landfilled within 15 years, rather than left in the current dangerous and leaking coal ash ponds along the Potomac, James, and Elizabeth rivers. The bill prohibits the use of cap-in-place, which would lead to future contamination, and requires Dominion Energy to recycle a minimum of 7 million tons of the roughly 30 million tons at its four coal ash sites across Virginia.”

Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-2nd District, said, “At town halls and meetings with my constituents, I promised that I would fight for legislation to recycle coal ash into concrete and other materials and to excavate and remove the remainder of coal ash to lined landfills because it was the most effective way to protect public health and the environment. I am proud that all of our bipartisan hard work has fulfilled this promise and resulted in comprehensive, impactful legislation to clean up toxic coal ash throughout Virginia.”

Sen. Scott Surovell, D-36th District, said the legislation represents an important step for environmental protections in the state. “I think this represents the first time Virginia has adopted environmental regulations that are more protective of the environment than federal law,” he said.