2050-AE81 201504 Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions 2050 Solid Waste and Emergency Response SWER 2000 Environmental Protection Agency EPA Standards for the Management of Coal Combustion Residuals Generated by Commercial Electric Power Producers

The EPA finalized national regulations to provide a comprehensive set of requirements for the safe disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs), which are commonly known as coal ash, from coal-fired power plants. The final rule is the culmination of extensive study on the effects of coal ash on the environment and public health. The rule establishes technical requirements for CCR landfills and surface impoundments under subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the nation's primary law for regulating solid waste. The final rule makes a number of changes from the proposal, including providing greater clarity on technical requirements in response to questions received during the comment period. These regulations address the risks from coal ash disposal -- leaking of contaminants into ground water, blowing of contaminants into the air as dust, and the catastrophic failure of coal ash surface impoundments. Additionally, the rule sets out recordkeeping and reporting requirements, as well as the requirement for each facility to establish and post specific information to a publicly accessible website. This final rule also supports the responsible recycling of CCRs by distinguishing safe, beneficial use from disposal.

]]> Economically Significant Previously Published in The Unified Agenda Completed Actions Yes State, local, or tribal governments Private Sector 40 CFR 257 261 264 265 268 271 302 42 U.S.C. 6905 42 U.S.C. 6906 42 U.S.C. 6907(a)(3) 42 U.S.C. 6912 42 U.S.C. 6912(a) 42 U.S.C. 6912(a)(1) 42 U.S.C. 6921 42 U.S.C. 6922 42 U.S.C. 6923 42 U.S.C. 6924 42 U.S.C. 6925 42 U.S.C. 6925(j) 42 U.S.C. 6935 42 U.S.C. 6936 42 U.S.C. 6937 42 U.S.C. 6944(a) 42 U.S.C. 6949a(c) 33 U.S.C. 1345(d) 33 U.S.C. 1345(e) Judicial Final 12/19/2014 Signature date No Notice 08/29/2007 72 FR 49714 NPRM 06/21/2010 75 FR 35128 Notice 07/15/2010 75 FR 41121 Notice 10/12/2011 76 FR 63252 Notice 08/02/2013 78 FR 46940 Final Rule 04/17/2015 80 FR 21301 Final Rule Effective 10/14/2015 Docket #:EPA-HQ-RCRA-2009-0640, EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-0392. http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EPA-HQ-RCRA-2009-0640 No Businesses Governmental Jurisdictions Federal Local State Tribal Yes No http://www2.epa.gov/coalash/coal-ash-rule http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-0392 221112 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation No No Alexander Livnat 2050 Office of Land and Emergency Management OLEM 703 308-7251 703 605-0595 livnat.alexander@epa.gov 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Mail Code 5304P, Washington DC 20460 Steve Souders 2050 Office of Land and Emergency Management OLEM 703 308-8431 703 605-0595 souders.steve@epa.gov 5304P, Washington DC 20460