Coal Ash: Why hasn't it Been Strictly Regulated?

The U.S. is known as the Saudi Arabia of coal.  After all, statistically it accounts for approximately 50% of all energy in the U.S.  Without coal, how would the U.S. survive energy wise?  That is the question many experts have failed to adequately answer.  Alternatives and renewables are often the answer, but for the near future at lease coal will be here to stay at least for energy use.  While the research and development of renewables and alternatives are necessary to wean U.S. dependence from fossil fuels like coal, in the meantime, it is necessary to ensure that the by-products of coal do not adversely impact the environment anymore than they already have.

Coal ash is the waste product that results from the energy production of coal.  What to do with all this ash that is generated is unclear and difficult since it can adversely affect the water supply if not properly taken care of.  If coal ash is not properly accounted, for example, there could be "leaking of metals (occurring) in groundwater, (which is) a source of potential health risks. This would be the first time it would regulated as it's disposed." Individuals should care about this coal ash getting into the drinking water since "People living near unlined coal ash ponds can have an extremely high 1 in 50 risk of cancer. That is more than 2,000 times higher than what the EPA considers acceptable."

Clearly, coal ash is a dangerous substance and it should not go unregulated.  If the EPA is regulating it for the first time, that is clearly good news.  However, what took so long to come to the conclusion that coal waste generated from a power plant needs to be regulated in the first place?  It is scary that it took a long time for the EPA to even start regulating the disposal of coal ash.  The lack of action to regulate the disposal of coal ash may have a lot to do with the fact the U.S. relies very heavily on coal for its energy production.

While it is good news that the U.S. EPA has made the correct decision to at least regulate coal ash, it is maddening that it took so long.  We may never know how many individuals got sick due to drinking contaminated drinking water because it came from sites near where the coal ash was not properly regulated.  While it may take time to regulate things such as coal ash, hopefully the EPA will put its policies into action by ensuring that they have an enforcement mechanism with their new rule for regulating coal ash.  Otherwise, it will be a rule that has no teeth.

Photo Credit: Flickr