EDITORIAL: Dangerous brew

Jan 12, 2009 (The Akron Beacon Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- TVA | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- In 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency appeared on the cusp of designating coal fly ash as hazardous waste, a step that would have set in motion the crafting of a federal regulatory scheme. The agency had ample reason for doing so, years of study revealing the health and environmental dangers of the byproduct from burning coal. Unfortunately, the EPA balked, largely due to pressure from an industry concerned about the potential cost.

Flash forward to a few weeks ago, when a coal ash pond operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority burst, spilling a billion tons of toxic sludge across 300 acres of Tennessee. Scientists and other analysts subsequently have reasoned that EPA action eight years ago would have likely prevented the catastrophe.

In other words, Congress and the agency now have no excuse but to act, subjecting coal ash dumps, and there are roughly 1,300 across the country, including several in Ohio, to mandatory regulation.

As it is, regulation has been left to the states, which have applied inconsistent standards. Alabama, for instance, applies few rules. Ohio requires coal-fired power plants to install plastic liners in new coal ash ponds and landfills. Interestingly, the amount of coal ash has increased in recent years, stemming from greater demand for electricity and tighter controls on air pollution, power plants capturing toxic emissions and routing the contents to nearby dump sites. Roughly 100 "wet dumps" amount to huge ponds, a poisonous brew within the boundaries.

How poisonous? Burning coal is a necessary yet dirty business (though much cleaner now than ever before). The combustion yields heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury and selenium, all viewed by scientists as threats to human health, raising the risk of cancer, birth defects and other problems.

If properly sealed, monitored and maintained, coal ash dumps can be made safe. The trouble is, as the EPA has discovered, too many dumps do not meet such standards, inviting harm to neighboring drinking wells and surface waters, not to mention fish and wildlife. Of particular danger is storing coal ash wet in ponds, the method posing an unacceptable risk of leakage. A 2006 federal study found that almost one-half of relatively new disposal sites did not use a composite liner for environmental protection.

No surprise that experts recommend keeping coal ash away from wet storage. They propose keeping dry ash in landfills with technologically sound caps, linings and collection systems. Such a change should be a prominent feature of federal regulation.

The coal industry correctly points out that the fly ash has beneficial uses, say, as a substitute for cement in concrete or as a base for roadways (then sealed in the construction). The industry misses the mark in arguing that states should have the task of regulation. That experiment has failed, and the health risks of falling so short are too great.

If anything, the risks are substantial enough that the federal government must step up to help in covering the cost of compliance with new rules. A Department of Energy estimate put the price at $11 billion a year. Steep? Yes -- until you consider the danger in leaving coal ash largely unregulated.

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