Hundreds of inactive coal ash disposal sites across the U.S. could become subject to federal safety regulations under a new rule proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The proposal, published in the Federal Register May 18, would apply to inactive surface impoundments—ponds, landfills and other fill sites—located at coal-fired power plants that ceased operation or no longer accepted coal ash waste prior to implementation of the agency’s 2015 rule governing management of coal combustion residuals facilities.