Hazardous Waste News Advisory (HQ): EPA Announces a Schedule of Public Hearings on Proposed Coal Ash Regulations

CONTACT:
Latisha Petteway
petteway.latisha@epa.gov
202-564-3191
202-564-4355

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2010

EPA Announces a Schedule of Public Hearings on Proposed Coal Ash Regulations

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting seven public hearings on the agency’s proposal to regulate the disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants.  EPA’s proposal is the first-ever national effort to ensure the safe disposal and management of coal ash from coal-fired power plants. 

Each hearing will begin at 10:00 a.m. and continue until 9:00 p.m. with a break at noon and 5:00 p.m. local time. The hearings will continue past 9:00 p.m. if necessary.  People who wish for a guaranteed slot to speak must register no later than three business days before each hearing.  Additionally, walk-ins and written comments will be accepted at each hearing. The agency will consider the public’s comments in its final decision.

August 30:        Hyatt Regency, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va
September 2:    Grand Hyatt, 1750 Welton Street, Denver, Colo.
September 8:    Hyatt Regency Dallas, 300 Reunion Boulevard, Dallas, Texas  
September 14:  Holiday Inn Charlotte (Airport), 2707 Little Rock Road, Charlotte, N.C.  
September 16:  Hilton Chicago, 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
September 21:  Omni Hotel, 530 William Penn Place, Pittsburgh, Pa.
September 28:  Seelbach Hilton, 500 Fourth Street, Louisville, Ky.

To pre-register to speak at the hearings, please call (703) 308-8429 or sign up online at
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/industrial/special/fossil/ccr-rule/ccr-form.htm

The need for national management criteria and regulation was emphasized by the December 2008 spill of coal ash from a surface impoundment near Kingston, Tenn. The proposal will ensure for the first time that protective controls, such as liners and ground water monitoring, are in place at new landfills to protect groundwater and human health.  Existing surface impoundments will also require liners, with strong incentives to close these impoundments and transition to safer landfills which store coal ash in dry form.  The proposed regulations will ensure stronger oversight of the structural integrity of impoundments and promote environmentally safe and desirable forms of recycling coal ash, known as beneficial uses.

EPA has proposed two main management approaches, one of which phases out surface impoundments and moves all coal ash to landfills; the other allows coal ash to be disposed in surface impoundments, but with stricter safety criteria.

More information about the proposed regulation: http://www.epa.gov/coalashrule

To view the chart comparing the two approaches: http://www.epa.gov/coalashrule/ccr-table.htm

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