EPA announces efforts to implement state programs to dispose of coal ash
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt sent a letter this week to inform states that the EPA is working on guidance for implementing state permitting programs for disposing of
coal combustion residuals, known as CCR or coal ash.
The guidance will be designed to enable flexibility in individual permits and give states more power and responsibility related to the permit programs, according to the EPA.
“EPA continues to support the environmentally sound recycling of coal ash,” Pruitt said. “Through the authority granted by Congress in the WIIN Act, EPA is issuing this guidance to promote the swift submission and review of state permit programs, make state and federal management of coal ash more consistent, and place enforcement in the hands of state regulators – those who best know the needs of local communities.”
The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act provides states with the authority to operate permit programs. The EPA concludes that the state’s requirements are at least as protective as
federal standards. The legislation also gives the EPA the authority to regulate CCR in states that decide not to implement state permitting programs and in states whose permitting program not approved by the EPA.
