Senate bill sets up permitting requirements for coal ash sites

August 3, 2012
By Jeremy Carroll @jeremyscarroll

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would set up a state permitting program for coal ash and ensure coal ash storage sites have requirements for groundwater monitoring and protective lining.

Introduced by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act of 2012 was criticized by various environmental groups.

In a joint press release, the senators said legislation would ensure safe and efficient recycling of coal ash into value construction materials.

Under the measure, states could set up their own permitting processes based on various federal regulations and could grant oversight to the U.S. EPA if they didn't want to have their own process.

"This bill strikes a good balance to continue our strong commitment to protecting our outdoor heritage while supporting industries that turn coal ash into jobs building roads and bridges," Baucus said in a statement.

In a statement, the Clean Water Action, Earthjustice, Environmental Integrity Project, Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club were critical of the legislation.

"This legislation purports to be a compromise between a terrible bill that passed the House of Representatives and a bill protecting public health," the statement said. "Unfortunately, this bill protects polluter profits and fails to ensure protection of public health. Without any enforceable deadlines to permit or close coal ash dumps, weak cleanup standards and a permanent ban on the EPA to ever set federally enforceable safeguards, the Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act of 2012 is a sham."

The legislation is sponsored by 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats.

w w w . w a s t e r e c y c l i n g n e w s . c o m