EPA Beneficial Use Risk “Evaluations” Under Way

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing a methodology for evaluating risks of beneficially using coal combustion products – a methodology that will first be applied to encapsulated applications.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson mentioned the risk evaluation activity during a December 6, 2011, appearance at Duke University. Inside EPA (subscription required) reported that Administrator Jackson said the analysis would be complete “towards the end of the year (2012)” and that its results could help shape a proposed final regulation on coal ash disposal that the agency has been working on since early 2009.

American Coal Ash Association officials held a conference call with senior EPA officials on January 3 to discuss the beneficial use risk evaluation activity. That conversation, combined with information from recently obtained correspondence between the Agency and its Office of Inspector General, revealed that:

• EPA is developing a new evaluation methodology for determining risks of beneficially using coal combustion products. The methodology development process is internal to EPA and will be peer reviewed; however, the Agency does not plan to seek public input on the methodology development or peer review process.
  
  
• The Agency plans to complete an evaluation methodology for encapsulated beneficial uses by April 2012. It is unclear whether the Agency plans to release the methodology prior to applying it to encapsulated uses or conduct both activities simultaneously. A senior EPA official told ACAA the objective is to “provide market comfort or market certainty for those beneficial uses we believe are protective of the environment.” The official also said the methodology would be applied first to encapsulated uses because there is “more information and less controversy” about them.
  
  
• The Agency also plans by the end of 2012 to “provide milestones for determining whether further action is warranted to address historical CCR structural fill applications.” This action is in response to EPA’s statement in the proposed coal ash disposal rulemaking that it considered “large-scale” fill to be a form of disposal.
  
  
• The Agency also plans by the second quarter of 2014 to “complete development of the conceptual model for evaluating risks from unencapsulated uses.” It is unclear whether this model will be the same used for evaluating encapsulated uses or something different.

The risk evaluation process was initiated following an EPA Office of Inspector General report criticizing the Agency for promoting beneficial use through the Coal Combustion Products Partnership (C2P2 program) without first evaluating risks. ACAA asked whether the current activity indicates that EPA plans to resume promoting beneficial uses that are determined safe. EPA officials indicated that they want to have discussions about potential promotional activities later on.

EPA officials said they plan to contact ACAA in late March to discuss the methodology and evaluations prior to their anticipated completion in April. ACAA will also remain in touch with the Agency in the interim to seek more clarity on the process and try to ensure that the methodology is developed and applied in a manner that represents real world conditions.

MATS and CSAPR Rules Moving Forward – Sort Of…

EPA also closed out 2011 with a pair of new major rules that will affect coal-fueled power plants.

Near the end of December, the Agency released its final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule – known in previous iterations as the “Utility MACT” or “Clean Air Mercury Rule.” For background on the rule and its potential impacts, check out stories here, here, and here.

The Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) – known in previous iterations as the “Clean Air Transport Rule” or “Clean Air Interstate Rule” – was released earlier in July, modified in October and scheduled to take effect January 1. But a court stayed implementation of the program at the last minute, creating uncertainty regarding when it might actually take effect. Read about the rule here and the court delay here.

Look here and here for articles recounting analysis by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation concerning what these rules might mean for keeping the lights on.

Happy New Year from The Phoenix!

Happy New Year from the American Coal Ash Association! We look forward to another eventful year of advancing the management and use of coal combustion products in ways that are environmentally responsible, technically sound, commercially competitive, and supportive of a sustainable global community. 

We hope you will help us get the word out about developments in our industry. Send comments or story ideas for The Phoenix to info@acaa-usa.org.

Sign Up Now for ACAA Meeting in Tampa

ACAA’s Winter meeting is right around the corner. The meeting will be held January 30-31 at the Tampa Doubletree Westshore Airport Hotel.

The hotel’s $119 per night group rate has been extended through the date of the meeting or until the room block sells out – whichever comes first. So don’t delay.

Information about the meeting is being updated regularly here. Hotel information and links to both online meeting registration and online hotel reservations are included. Watch for more information regarding committee meetings, speakers, the always popular Welcome Reception and the second gathering of the ACAA Women’s Leadership Forum. (And note that the Women’s Leadership Forum now has its own web page here!)

Five Executive Committee Positions Open

The January meeting will also feature the election of five members of the ACAA Executive Committee. Open positions include two-year terms for Vice-Chairperson, Secretary/Treasurer, and three at-large seats.

The Nominating Committee is chaired by current Secretary/Treasurer Charles Price and has requested nominations by Friday, January 6. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor during the January Board of Directors meeting. You can obtain a nomination form by contacting info@acaa-usa.org.

ACAA Members in the News

Charah, Inc., has named three new vice presidents:

• Sean McGuire was named Vice President of Utility Relations for the Central Region and is responsible for marketing Charah’s ash management services while building relationships with regional utility companies throughout the Midwest. He has over 20 years of experience in the construction and ash services industries and holds dual bachelor’s degrees in marketing and management from Eastern Kentucky University.
  
  
• Chris Dickson was named Vice President of Finance and will oversee and advise Charah’s growing accounting and finance department. A CPA with over 15 years of senior level experience, Chris also previously worked for a synthetic gypsum producer. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Louisville and an MBA from Bellarmine University. 
  
  
• Alex Hohne was named Vice President of Dewatering Services and will oversee Charah’s rapidly growing dewatering services division and its comprehensive dewatering systems as part of its PondX® impoundment elimination solutions. Alex has held positions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Air Force and most recently served as vice president of operations at a synthetic gypsum processing and management company. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University and has completed graduate studies at the University of Tennessee Space Institute.
  

CERATECH, Inc. has published new information about its line of high-performance cements for durable concrete in extreme conditions. The company’s products are formulated specifically for severe industrial and chemical processing environments. According to the company, all product lines resist both extreme temperatures and corrosive materials far better than conventional portland cement. An added benefit, and critical to many users, is the product's superior sustainability attributes. Because all CERATECH cements are made with 95% recycled and 5% renewable materials in a virtually carbon-free process, they also rate far higher on important sustainability scales than conventional portland cement. The new information about the products can be seen here.

Many ACAA members are doing their part to represent coal combustion products in social media forums. Recently, ARIPPA was recognized by YAHOO! for submitting the best response to the “YAHOO! Answers” question “What is the problem with coal ash?” (Read ARIPPA’s response here.) John Ward’s action group Citizens for Recycling First also routinely responds to mischaracterizations of coal ash in web forums. (Click here for a particularly spirited example.)

Coal Ash in the News

One World Trade Center is being billed as the greenest skyscraper in the world and coal fly ash is a contributor to that achievement. Look here for an interesting description of this remarkable building under construction in Manhattan.

This one’s not exactly about coal ash, but Foreign Policy outlines how more concrete in this world could improve a lot of people’s lives in some unexpected ways.

Look here for the Knoxville, Tennessee, newspaper’s account of the third anniversary of the Kingston coal ash spill.

Your Chance to Be Published!

Looking for an opportunity to tell the world what you know about coal ash? Here are some opportunities to submit papers for prestigious international conferences:

• Coal Gen – to be held August 15-17, 2012, in Louisville, Kentucky. Deadline for abstracts has been extended to January 13. Submit your abstract and get more information here.
  
  
• 7th Annual International Concrete Sustainability Conference – to be held May 7-10 in Seattle, Washington. Sponsored by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, abstracts are due January 27. For more information about the program or to submit your abstract online, click here.
  
  
• 8th International Conference:  Concrete in the Low Carbon Era – to be held July 9-12, 2012 at the University of Dundee in Scotland. Deadline for abstracts is January 31. More information is here.

The Phoenix was sent to you from the American Coal Ash Association: info@acaa-usa.org.
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The ACAA’s mission is to advance the management and use of coal combustion products in ways that are environmentally responsible, technically sound, commercially competitive, and more supportive of a sustainable global community.