Residents of North Carolina are concerned about coal ash ponds in their neighborhoods, and now state lawmakers will consider a bill that would force Duke Energy to close all coal ash dumps in the state within 15 years.

"Addressing the environmental, regulatory and consumer protection concerns caused by North Carolina's coal ash ponds is one of the Senate's top priorities -- and that's why it was the focus of the very first bill we filed this short session," Senate Rules Committee Chair Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, said in a written release. "This is a long-standing problem that started three quarters of a century ago, and I'm pleased to be a part of the first General Assembly to take it seriously."

Under the Coal Ash Management Act of 2014, much of the toxic waste will go into lined landfills, WNCN reported.

Duke Energy's coal ash dumps in the towns of Asheville, Dan River (four months ago a sludge spill contaminated 70 miles of the Dan River), Riverbend and Sutton, which have all been dubbed high-risk, would have to close by 2019. This means that about 100 million tons worth of ash already in existence will be dug up and removed or sealed to prevent groundwater contamination.

Meanwhile, ponds that are dubbed as immediate risk must close by 2024, and those considered low-risk must close by 2029.

"We are currently reviewing the proposed legislation in detail, but it's clear that the bill timeline is much more aggressive than our plan," Jeff Brooks, spokesman for the $50 billion company, told WNCN Monday. "We've stated that excavation at one of our largest sites could take up to 30 years."

According to The Associated Press, Duke Energy's dumps have previously been tested by the company and North Carolina environmental regulators. In 2011, it was determined that groundwater from wells in homes near Dukeville "contained some substances exceeding state standards," according to AP. Waterkeeper Alliance reportedly found carcinogen hexavalent chromium and other possibly dangerous substances recently. State officials did not have Duke Energy clean the pollution or warn citizens. The company and state regulators said there is no proof that the coal ash dumps endanger residents, AP reported.

Some environmental groups are not satisfied with the proposed law.

"Duke Energy's lobbyists have persuaded North Carolina senate leaders to propose a Burn-the-Public bill that would provide minimal clean-up of the utility's 33 leaking coal ash dumps and maximal abuse of electricity customers and those physically impacted by toxic coal ash," Jim Warren, NC WARN director, said in a statement. "The bill would leave the public to the mercies of state environmental and utility regulators despite their track record of coddling Duke Energy ... [and] would allow Duke to charge its customers billions of dollars for executives' recklessness -- after the utility's shareholders have profited from years of mishandling coal ash."
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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