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Monday, September 06, 2010
Environment - "Unsolved Coal Ash Problem" [Updated]
Here is an editorial from the Sept. 5, 2010 NY Times - a quote:
Last Monday, the E.P.A. held the first in a series of regional hearings on two quite different proposals governing how coal-fired power plants dispose of waste.[Updated 9/8/10] "New coal ash rules could affect Gibson Generating Station" is the headline of a long story by Bill Staub in the Evansville Courier & Press.One proposal, favored by public-interest groups and by agency scientists, would replace a patchwork of uneven — and in many cases weak — state regulations with new national standards. It would formally designate coal ash as a hazardous waste under federal law, require industry to phase out porous sludge ponds, replace them with sturdy, leak-proof facilities, and take other protective steps.
The competing proposal would establish federal guidelines for disposal but leave enforcement to the states. It would also preserve coal ash’s status as a nonhazardous substance. Though the proposal barely improves on the status quo, the Office of Management and Budget — after heavy lobbying by the coal industry — agreed to give it equal billing in the public hearings.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 6, 2010 02:49 PM
Posted to Environment