Regulating Coal Combustion Waste Disposal

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Coal combustion waste (CCW) is inorganic material that remains after pulverized coal is burned for electricity production. Industry estimates that as much as 136 million tons were generated in 2008. On Dec. 22, 2008, national attention was turned to the waste when a breach in an impoundment pond at the TVA¿s Kingston, TN, power plant released 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash slurry. The cleanup cost may reach $1.2 billion. Contents of this report: (1) Intro.; (2) Overview of EPA¿s Proposal; (3) The Nature of CCW; (4) CCW Management Methods; (5) Risks Associated with CCW Mis-Management; (6) RCRA Provisions Relevant to EPA¿s Proposal (7) EPA¿s Proposed Regulatory Options; (8) Types of Coal Combustion Waste. Charts and tables.

Coal-fired power plants account for almost half of America¿s electric power, resulting in 136 millions tons of CCW. CCW contains a range of heavy metals such as arsenic, beryllium, chromium, lead, and mercury. The primary concern regarding CCW relates to the potential for hazardous constituents to leach into surface or groundwater, and hence contaminate drinking water, surface water, or living organisms. Contents of this report: (1) Disposal and Use Issues; (2) The Nature of Coal Combustion Waste; (3) Potential Risks Associated with CCW Management; (4) Regulatory History and Current Rulemaking; (5) Landfill and Surface Impoundment Disposal; Mine Disposal; ¿Beneficial Use¿. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.

On Dec. 22, '08, a breach in a surface impoundment (or storage pond) dike at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in TN resulted in the release of 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash -- also referred to as coal combustion residue (CCR) -- into the Emory River. The spill covered 300 acres and made 3 homes uninhabitable; it damaged 23 other homes, plus roads, rail lines, and utilities. The cleanup will cost a billion dollars and take 2 to 3 years to complete. This report identifies: (1) the number of surface impoundments for storing CCR in the U.S. and their location; (2) problems, if any, with the storage of coal ash, and how those problems are being addressed; and (3) the type of fed. oversight that exists for CCR and what, if any, issues need to be resolved. Illustrations.

For over 30 years, the EPA has gathered information, conducted studies, solicited input from state agencies, industry, and the public, and evaluated existing state and federal regulatory programs to determine whether the management of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) warranted regulation as a hazardous waste. In the 112th Congress, the House passed two bills to address the long-standing regulatory impasse over (CCRs). The impasse originated in 1980, when an amendment to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) excluded CCRs from regulation as a hazardous waste, pending further study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That study was required to identify adverse effects on human health and the environment, if any, of CCR disposal and use before determining whether the materials should be subject to hazardous waste requirements. This book examines primarily how state programs to regulate CCRs may be developed and implemented by a state according to directives in the bills proposed in the 112th Congress.

"The subcommittee has called this hearing so that members might learn more about coal ash, the small businesses that turn coal ash into useful products and the concerns that these businesses have about the proposed Federal regulations that they believe may have a negative effect on their industry ... The EPA has recently issued two proposals for regulating coal ash. One would regulate coal ash as a solid waste and would provide very limited Federal enforceability and may not provide adequate protection of the environment and human health. The other would list coal ash as a special waste under the Hazardous Waste Subtitle in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Subtitle C. The second option is one that we will focus on ... since it has generated great concerns among small businesses across this country. These businesses, many of which are represented here today, have reason to believe that regulating coal ash under Subtitle C, even as a special waste, will open recycling operations to added litigation and a stigma that will discourage the ... use of the products made with recycled coal ash."--P. 1-2.

Burning coal in electric utility plants produces, in addition to power, residues that contain constituents which may be harmful to the environment. The management of large volumes of coal combustion residues (CCRs) is a challenge for utilities, because they must either place the CCRs in landfills, surface impoundments, or mines, or find alternative uses for the material. This study focuses on the placement of CCRs in active and abandoned coal mines. The committee believes that placement of CCRs in mines as part of the reclamation process may be a viable option for the disposal of this material as long as the placement is properly planned and carried out in a manner that avoids significant adverse environmental and health impacts. This report discusses a variety of steps that are involved in planning and managing the use of CCRs as minefills, including an integrated process of CCR characterization and site characterization, management and engineering design of placement activities, and design and implementation of monitoring to reduce the risk of contamination moving from the mine site to the ambient environment. Enforceable federal standards are needed for the disposal of CCRs in minefills to ensure that states have adequate, explicit authority and that they implement minimum safeguards.