Rudo’s boss, state public health director Dr. Randall Williams, in March reversed earlier warnings telling the affected residents not to drink their water. “That is a false statement, and Mr Rudo is just inaccurate”.
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The “do-not-drink” letters that were sent out included a statement notifying well owners that their water met all federal drinking water standards and might actually be safe.
LW – So is the water safe? The governor called a few minutes into the meeting and spoke briefly with Ellis, Rudo recalled.
But now another blockbuster story that has been in the background has exploded, the rapidly widening scandal starting with sworn testimony from the state toxicologist that key officials in the McCrory Administration rejected his analysis and told people living near leaking Duke Energy coal ash ponds that their drinking water was safe when there was scientific evidence that it was not. The governor worked for the utility for 28 years, and appointed former Duke Energy officials to his administration. He said it was incongruous to warn people not to drink the water but to tell them it didn’t exceed federal standards.
Mr. Rudo testified his office was pressured by administration officials to add misleading and confusing language to the warning letters to be sent to residents. The NBA’s recent decision to move the 2017 all-star game and its $100 million economic impact out of Charlotte because of the law is the latest blow. Rudo said the governor wasn’t there but called his communications director, Josh Ellis, who relayed McCrory’s concerns. Duke tried hard to keep the deposition private, but the Associated Press obtained a copy and its allegations are stunning.
That and other toxic chemicals such as lead and arsenic are contained in coal ash, the byproduct generated after coal is burned to generate electricity.
Rudo said McCrory was not in the office for the meeting but was listening on the phone.
Stith, at his news conference Tuesday night, acknowledged that staff from his office were involved in the wells issue but he was adamant that Rudo’s specific claims about the governor were false.
Asked if she was accusing Mr. Rudo of lying under oath about Mr. McCrory being on the phone during the meeting, Ms. Gerlach responded, “Absolutely not”.
Hawco accused the group of trying to “cherry-pick parts of an incomplete deposition to suit their political purposes”.
DB – It went out of the headlines for a while, but it didn’t go away for homeowners and environmentalists.
Duke Energy has asked a judge to stop the SELC from releasing Rudo’s full deposition, saying it is inadmissible hearsay that is meant to inflame public opinion.
Duke has not finished its deposition of Dr. Rudo, and Duke has said they want to take a close look at his credibility, basically.
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Frank Holleman, an attorney for the public interest environmental law firm, opposed Duke’s request for a protective order in a brief he filed Tuesday. If his recollection is correct, that’s a direct link between the governor and the changing of advisories that may have jeopardized the health of hundreds of North Carolinians. “They wanted language put on there that stated, in essence, we were overreacting in telling people not to drink their water”. Duke Energy had originally motioned for the court not to release Rudo’s testimony, but the motion was largely denied – although several pages from the public disposition were missing. “So I was a little, even for me, intimidated by this”.
