Dominion said in a news release that the closures are in response to new standards governing so-called coal combustion residuals from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The EPA rule established late last year set the first national standards for coal ash, treating it more like household garbage than a hazardous material. Duke, the nation's largest electricity company, announced in February that it would admit guilt on nine misdemeanor counts and pay $102 million in fines and restitution over years of illegal pollution leaking from coal ash dumps at five North Carolina power plants, including the one in Eden.