EPA Seeks Information on Beneficial Use and Piles of Coal Ash
EPA is releasing a notice seeking information and data related to the beneficial use and piles of coal combustion residuals (CCR, commonly known as coal ash). Coal ash can be beneficially used to make new products, such as wallboard or concrete. Due to the many potentially useful properties of coal ash, a vast array of businesses from construction to agriculture and manufacturing choose coal ash as a substitute for other materials. EPA has held technical discussions with a broad array of stakeholders and has decided to defer finalizing the rule to gather additional information and data, including:
• Information on how coal ash is beneficially used to help the Agency distinguish among the different types of beneficial use applications.
• Information on the management of coal ash at each point in its distribution system.
• Information on federal, state and local program provisions and regulations related to beneficial use and piles of coal ash.
EPA will use this new information to help inform the reconsideration of the beneficial use definition and provisions for piles of coal ash. There will be a 60-day comment period following Federal Register publication.
All comments on the notice should be submitted by 60 days from publication and should be identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2020-0463.