Citizens Meet the EPA

Charlotte, NC hosted one of the hearings by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week. The hearing allowed citizens to comment on the EPA plans to regulate coal ash disposal.

An overflowing conference room at the Holiday Inn Airport spilled out into the hall (in photo at right), through the lobby, and into another room full of people listening to the speakers remotely over an audio system.

The EPA Press Release of May 4, 2010 states that the purpose of the regulation is to ensure the structural integrity of coal ash impoundments, to prevent accidents like the one that occurred in Kingston, TN. There, a dike failure spilled 5.4 million cubic yards of fly ash into adjacent sloughs and into the main Emory River channel, covering about 300 acres.

The Proposal is also intended to prevent groundwater contamination and threats to drinking water. You can get a copy of the Proposed Rule on the EPA Website.

Registration was high for speakers, so time was limited. Bonnie Crihfield of Roxboro, NC flashes a smile after she spoke at the Charlotte hearing (in photo at left). She is a machine operator at Separations Technology, and concerned about the EPA's regulations regarding coal ash.

Some coal ash is safely recycled into building products like cement blocks and wallboard. Crihfield wants to continue recycling the coal ash and keep producing in her job.

The proposed regulations state that the Environmental Protection Agency strongly supports these recycling efforts. The hearing issue is really about what citizens want them to do about the residual part of the coal ash, after the recyclable contents have been removed.

The Proposal offers two plans of action, with Key Differences Between Subtitle C and Subtitle D Options of Coal Combustion Residuals.

Coal ash impoundments are numerous across the Eastern United States. A map collated by the Sierra Club shows 17 in North Carolina and 11 in South Carolina.

Upcoming hearings will be September 21 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and September 28 in Louisville, Kentucky. Due to high response, they have announced an additional public hearing in Knoxville, Tennessee during the week of October 25, 2010.

Public comment is invited by the EPA online and through the mail. Written commentary on the proposal will be accepted until November 19, 2010.