Coal ash storage is currently under review by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), following the December 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) impoundment pond rupture that dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic sludge on to a neighboring east Tennessee community and the Emory River. Coal ash contains arsenic and carcinogenic heavy metals, which has raised concerns from environmental groups.

Coal ash is not currently regulated by the federal government, and environmental groups say that the lack of oversight has made storage plants lax, putting millions of people who live near those plants at risk. The EPA is expected to propose guidelines for coal ash storage in the next few months.

If the EPA reclassifies coal ash as a hazardous material, it would have a ripple effect that critics, including the group of Illinois lawmakers, say will crush an already weakened economy.

The Office of Management and Budget said in a statement that it has received the Illinois lawmakers’ comments and they “appreciate their input.” For now, however, the subject remains under review.

Source: Chicago Tribune

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Illinois lawmakers ask White House not to classify coal ash as hazardous

That spill, called one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history, knocked houses off their foundations, damaged property and contaminated waterways. The TVA is currently undergoing an estimated three-year, $1.2 billion cleanup effort to restore the land.

That’s just the kind of nightmare Kentucky residents don’t want to experience. A major spill from a larger coal ash pond built on the Ohio River flood plain could easily contaminate Louisville’s drinking water uptake just 30 miles downstream.

LG&E and Kentucky Division of Water officials say the pond wouldn’t affect the drinking water. But environmentalists have concerns. Coal ash is not categorized as a hazardous material and thus does not currently fall under federal regulation. But the massive Tennessee spill shed new light on coal ash.

Tests have shown that coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. As a result of last year’s devastating spill, the Environmental Protection Agency has been ordered to review all coal ash ponds in the country. The agency is expected to issue new rules for handling coal ash sometime in December.

Source: Chicago Tribune

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Activists fight coal ash pond expansion along Ohio River