EPA Proposes Disposal Rules for Coal Ash

On May 4, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft proposal for regulating the widely anticipated use and disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs), including coal fly ash, which is widely used in construction materials. The proposal comes in the wake of a large spill from a coal-ash holding pond in Kingston, Tennessee, in 2008 (see “Coal Ash in Spill Could Not Have Been Used in Concrete,” EBN Dec. 2008). Coal ash contains mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and other harmful substances. EPA has proposed two options for better regulating coal ash; after a 90-day public comment period, the agency will decide which option to pursue, modify the specifics based on input, and finalize its rule.

...

To read the complete article, please login below.

BuildingGreen.com