by jflowers
12. May 2010
For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing regulations for the safe disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants.
The proposal focuses on two options for addressing the risks of coal ash management under the Resource Recovery and Conservation Act. One option is drawn from authorities available under Subtitle C, which creates a comprehensive program of federally enforceable requirements for waste management and disposal. The other option includes remedies under Subtitle D, which gives EPA authority to set performance standards for waste management facilities and would be enforced primarily through citizen suits.
Under both approaches, the agency would retain the Bevill exemption for beneficial uses of coal ash, in which coal combustion residuals are recycled as components of products instead of placed in impoundments or landfills.
Coal combustion residuals, commonly known as coal ash, are byproducts of the combustion of coal at power plants and are disposed of in liquid form at large surface impoundments and in solid form at landfills. The residuals contain contaminants like mercury, cadmium and arsenic, which are associated with cancer and various other serious health effects. EPA’s risk assessment and damage cases demonstrate that, without proper protections, these contaminants can leach into groundwater and can migrate to drinking water sources, posing significant health public concerns.
The public comment period is 90 days from the date the rule is published in the Federal Register.
For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/coalashrule.
