EPA/OBAMA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Federal regulators will reconsider Obama -era rules governing waste from coal-fired power plants, accepting a request from utility companies that were faced with possibly closing dozens of coal-ash dumps nationwide.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the decision Thursday [9-14-17], putting into question rules from 2015 that one trade group estimated would cost power companies from $23 billion to $35 billion over 20 years. It wasn’t immediately clear how far the agency’s review might go, and agency officials did not respond to requests for more detail.
Coal ash is byproduct from coal-fired power plants, which scrub potential air pollutants from their emissions. That ash can contain arsenic, selenium, lead and mercury, and the EPA spent years debating the need for strong controls on it. Much of it gets dumped into ponds and landfills that can leach into groundwater, and more than a third of it gets used to make cement, particle board and other products.
In a statement, the agency said it wants to consider changes that would help give states clarity and flexibility on how to deal with their coal-ash sites. EPA is not committing to changing any part of the rule or to agreeing with industry’s request for changes, and it will give public notice and go through a full public-comment period if it eventually does, the agency added.”
-Timothy Puko, “EPA to Review Rules on Coal Ash, a Power Plant Byproduct,” The Wall Street Journal online, Sept. 14, 2017 08:11pm