EPA requests comments on coal ash

Coal ash is a dangerous mixture of arsenic, lead, mercury and many other poisons. When improperly disposed of it contaminates drinking water supplies, surface waters and communities. There are thousands of these poorly managed and maintained coal ash impoundments across the country and one in Lower Richland County.

The National Riverkeeper Alliance is asking for everyone who cares about our waterways and clean drinking water to write to the EPA to comment on the proposed coal ash disposal plans. The EPA is asking for opinions on whether to treat coal ash as standard waste or hazardous waste. This ruling is one of the most important decisions on water that the EPA will make.  Lower Richland County will be impacted by this decision because we have a coal power plant on the Wateree River.  Either SCE&G will have to clean up the arsenic and mercury they are currently leaching into the Wateree River or they will continue to pollute.  It is up to us.  The coal industry & power companies are fighting hard on this issue, will we?

We need many individuals and individual organizations to send a comment letter, asking for coal ash to be handled as the hazardous waste that it is, before September 20th.   The Waterkeeper Alliance letter shown below can be sent by clicking on the following link to the Waterkeeper Alliance:

http://www.congressweb.com/cweb2/index.cfm/siteid/WA/action/TakeAction.Background/LetterGroupID/14

A hearing will be held in Charlotte on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 from 10AM to 9PM at the Holiday Inn Charlotte (Airport), 2707 Little Rock Road, Charlotte, NC, 28214; Phone: (704) 394-4301.  If you want to speak, pre-registration is suggested.  Click this link to pre-register: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/industrial/special/fossil/ccr-rule/ccr-form.htm

July 30, 2010   Posted in: ACTION ALERT, Environmental Concern, In the news, National Legislation, Public Hearing