Regulation of Coal Combustion Waste Considerations and Proposals

For over 30 years, the EPA has gathered information, conducted studies, solicited input from state agencies, industry, and the public, and evaluated existing state and federal regulatory programs to determine whether the management of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) warranted regulation as a hazardous waste. In the 112th Congress, the House passed two bills to address the long-standing regulatory impasse over (CCRs). The impasse originated in 1980, when an amendment to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) excluded CCRs from regulation as a hazardous waste, pending further study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That study was required to identify adverse effects on human health and the environment, if any, of CCR disposal and use before determining whether the materials should be subject to hazardous waste requirements. This book examines primarily how state programs to regulate CCRs may be developed and implemented by a state according to directives in the bills proposed in the 112th Congress.