More Coal Ash News

If you've been following the toxic coal ash ooze into the Vermilion River here, this national news may affect the clean up or future dumping. From The Hill:

New EPA rule gives states power to determine coal ash disposal
The Trump administration announced a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule Thursday aimed at giving states the independence to determine how to best dispose of coal ash, the toxic metal left from burning coal.

The EPA said that the deregulations would save utilities nearly $100 million per year in compliance costs and the regulated community between $31 million and $100 million per year.

“Today’s coal ash proposal embodies EPA’s commitment to our state partners by providing them with the ability to incorporate flexibilities into their coal ash permit programs based on the needs of their states,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement.

“We are also providing clarification and an opportunity for public comment – something that is much-needed following the public reaction to the 2015 coal ash rule.”
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The move is a sharp departure from the Obama administration, which sought to better regulate disposal of the toxic metal.

In 2015, following a number of coal ash leaks that led to severely clogged waterways, the Obama administration proposed regulations that would increase inspections and monitoring as well as impose new requirements for storage liners. They would have also required companies to conduct water quality tests.

The rule met significant opposition from utility industry groups and were never implemented. Litigation against the regulations remains pending.

It's an issue that hits close to home. More on the Vermilion coal ash issue at this earlier Cheat Sheet post. From a recent Chicago Tribune article:

Before Dynegy closed the plant in 2011, the two companies deposited more than 3.3 million cubic yards of coal ash into pits next to the river — enough to fill the Empire State Building nearly 2½ times. Testing by Dynegy and the Prairie Rivers Network shows the multicolored waste oozing into the water contains dangerous levels of heavy metals found in coal ash, including arsenic, chromium, iron, lead and manganese.

“This toxic waste needs to be cleaned up,” said Andrew Rehn, water resources engineer for the network, based in Champaign. “We want to make sure that Dynegy can’t just walk away from its responsibility. We all have a right to a clean Vermilion River.”

So if you hate toxic waste about as much as you hate insane unexpected costs to tax payers. This is one story to follow.