Coal Ash

Coal Ash

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
I have to confess that it always seems a little strange to me when I cover a story that is critical of the EPA. I am an environmentalist. When I think about it, here is a government agency whose mission is to protect the earth that I love so dearly. But in a sense it's like parenting. If a dad or a mom nitpicks everything their child does, it becomes counterproductive to the child's development. And so the EPA has made nitpicking decisions that are oftentimes ridiculous. This brings me to Congressman Mike Simpson.

The Congressman voted last week for legislation to bring certainty under EPA's recently finalized coal ash regulations.  H.R. 1734, the Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act of 2015, would put states in charge of implementing coal ash regulation in order to ensure that public health and the environment are protected while states' rights are preserved.  The bill passed by a vote of 258-166.

 

Coal ash is the byproduct of coal combustion and is used to create roads, bridges, and buildings.  It is also regularly recycled and used in construction materials.  The EPA finalized a rule to regulate coal ash in April.  Under H.R. 1734, states would have the authority to implement a coal ash permit program, with EPA implementing a permit program for states that choose not to establish their own.

 

"While I am concerned about the practical implementation of EPA's final rule, I do believe that reasonable regulations should be in place regarding coal ash," said Simpson.  "This legislation ensures that human health and the environment are protected without creating a new and unneeded regulatory system, leaving regulation and permitting to the states, where it belongs."

 

The bill is now under consideration by the U.S. Senate.

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