Sarah Rankin

Associated Press

Today in Manufacturing Podcast

Today in Manufacturing Podcast

Today in Manufacturing has a new podcast brought to you by the editors of Industrial Media. In each episode, we discuss the five biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward.

Virginia Industrial Sites Sit Empty

Officials have poured about $25 million into the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center with no success yet.

Court Vacates Permit for Pipeline

Environmental groups that sued say all work must stop, but the developer said construction can continue on the $6.5 billion natural gas pipeline.

In this June 26, 2015 file photo a drain pipe sticks out of a coal ash retention pond at the Dominion Power's Possum Point Power Station in Dumfries, Va. A new report released Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, from Dominion Energy says it would be cheaper and quicker to close and cover coal ash ponds than to recycle the waste or move it to landfills.

Options for Coal Ash Ponds

Company says it would be cheaper to leave the coal ash ponds in place rather than recycling the ash or moving it to lined landfills.

Radford Ammunition Plant 2

Elevated Pollutants at Army Plant

Drone found arsenic, lead and other pollutants at ammunition plant.

This Monday June 27, 2016 file photo shows a non-permeable cover tops Coal Ash Basin B along the banks of the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake, Va.A federal judge has ordered Virginia's largest utility to conduct two years of water, sediment and biological tissue sampling at the Chesapeake Energy Center, where he ruled earlier this year coal ash is polluting surrounding waters with arsenic.

Judge: Utility Must Revise Plan for Leaking Coal Ash

But stakeholders continue to quibble over how the problem should be remedied.

In this Friday June 26, 2015 file photo, a drain pipe sticks out of a coal ash retention pond at the Dominion Power's Possum Point Power Station in Dumfries, Va. The company is moving coal ash from several ponds to one lined pond. As Virginia and its public utilities struggle to cope with the coal ash buried in pits and ponds across the state, tons more of the industrial byproduct is being imported each year.

Coal Ash, From Trash to Cash

The nation's shift away from coal for electricity has reduced the supply of fresh coal ash.

The Starship Technologies delivery robot goes through it's paces during a demonstration at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. State lawmakers have partnered with European company Starship Technologies on bills that would allow Virginia cities to join two others in the U.S. and many across Europe where the company is testing the robots. Much like big-time retailers' attempts at drone deliveries, the robots aim to revolutionize the way people get their parcels.

Robots May Soon Make Deliveries

These 'little R2-D2 talking mini-fridges' could make streets safer.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe gestures during a news conference at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. McAuliffe announced a proposed $50 million settlement to resolve claims stemming from the release of mercury from the former E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) facility in Waynesboro, Virginia.

DuPont to Pay $50M Over Contamination

The deal is the eighth largest environmental settlement in the nation but, under the terms, DuPont will admit no fault.