Missouri Has Much At Stake As EPA Nears Deadline For Regulating Coal Ash
By DURRIE BOUSCAREN
After four years and a court order that pitted environmental groups against the coal industry, the Environmental Protection Agency is nearing its December deadline to finalize regulations for how coal-fired power plants dispose of the toxic ash they create.
Coal ash — which contains elements like mercury, lead and arsenic — can leach into groundwater if not properly contained. That has raised concerns among environmental groups who say Missouri does not properly regulate coal ash disposal.
Missouri is also a coal-centric state; 83 percent of net electricity generated comes from coal. St. Louis-based energy companies include Ameren Missouri, Arch Coal, and Peabody Energy. A spokesperson for Ameren said the company estimates complying with the new federal rule will cost the utility several hundred million dollars.
Power plants attempt to contain the coal ash in one of two ways: using specially designed ponds to hold the coal ash in liquid form, or compounding the ash into a solid and storing it in a landfill.
The Labadie Environmental Organization is currently opposing Ameren Missouri’s plan to build a coal ash landfill near the Labadie Plant. (read more here.)
According to the EPA, the rule will be the first federal regulation for coal ash. It has been in development since a 2008 spill in Kingston, TN, that displaced hundreds of people and contaminated millions of cubic yards of land and water. When the agency dragged its feet to publish a final rule, environmental groups sued. The EPA agreed to a December 19, 2014 deadline with a consent decree.
