SPECIAL ALERT: Act Now to Support Coal Ash Provisions in Transportation Bill

A new online tool has been created at www.RegulateCoalAshRight.com to help people contact their Congressional representatives in support of legislation that would prevent a “hazardous waste” designation for coal ash.

Lawmakers from both the House and Senate are now working to craft a final version of the federal surface transportation bill. One of the issues they must resolve is whether to include provisions in the bill that would establish federal requirements for state programs to ensure the safe management of coal ash.

There is strong bipartisan support for regulating coal ash as a non-hazardous waste, which will protect human health and the environment, jobs, and electricity consumers. But your help is needed to ensure coal ash is regulated right.

Tell Congress to include bipartisan coal ash provisions in the surface transportation bill. This will ensure that coal ash is managed properly and in an environmentally protective way by the states, while providing for its continued recycling or beneficial use.

Click here to register and send letters to your federal elected officials, then encourage friends, family and business associates to do the same.

EPA Beneficial Use Risk Evaluations Still in Process

Senior officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have told the American Coal Ash Association that the Agency’s beneficial use risk evaluations expected in April are still undergoing review.

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. In December 2011, the Agency revealed that it had embarked on a risk evaluation process with goals for establishing a methodology for encapsulated beneficial uses by April 2012 and a methodology for unencapsulated uses by second quarter 2014.

EPA has not allowed stakeholder participation in the development of the methodologies and has not revealed any details regarding their scope. It is believed that the encapsulated uses under consideration initially may be limited to concrete and wallboard.

During a phone call in late April, EPA officials reiterated a commitment to share details of the methodology with ACAA leaders as soon as the Agency’s internal reviews are complete.

ACAA Summer Meeting Deadlines Approach

The American Coal Ash Association summer meeting will be held June 19-20 at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel & Waterfront Conference Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Information about the meeting is now available on the ACAA website here.

Room reservations should be made before May 30 by clicking here. The Renaissance Hotel is offering a discount rate of $115 per night for reservations made before that date.

Meeting registration is available through June 13 on the ACAA website here. Online meeting registration is $50 for ACAA members and $250 for non-members. On-site registration will also be available, but will cost $25 more.

Coal Ash in the News

The inclusion of coal ash provisions in the federal Transportation Bill now under consideration generated lots of attention. Here’s an op-ed by Congressman David McKinley that appeared in a well-read Capitol Hill publication. A spirited exchange also ensued in the West Virginia news media after Senator Jay Rockefeller expressed concern about including a coal ash provision in a Transportation Bill. See here and here to get a feel for the debate. Newspaper editorial writers like this one clearly came down on Congressman McKinley’s side. Finally, here’s a more comprehensive story on coal ash was produced by West Virginia Public Radio.

Rep. McKinley is one of numerous Congress members who are also upset over comments by a regional EPA official who used the word “crucify” in a description of the Agency’s enforcement strategies. Here’s a Fox News story about the incident. (EPA has denied the official’s characterization and he has since resigned.)

And one more from Inside the Beltway: Environmental groups with deep pockets who sue the EPA receive millions of dollars from the Agency. See here.

Speaking of lawsuits, here is an account from an environmental law firm’s newsletter summarizing the litigation that is beginning now over EPA’s proposed coal ash regulations.

A good summary of the on-going S.S. Badger controversy can be found here. The Badger is the last coal-fueled ship on the Great Lakes and is under fire for discharging coal ash directly into Lake Michigan.

Here is coverage of the opening of a new fly ash carbon removal plant in Maryland.

The Discovery channel wrote about an England company with a new technology for making bricks from coal ash here.

Finally – in the good news (we hope!) department – after seven down years for cement consumption, the Portland Cement Association is revising its forecasts to show some modest improvements. See here.

October Workshop to Focus on Ash Utilization

A new ash utilization workshop co-sponsored by the American Coal Ash Association and University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research will be October 9-10, 2012, at the Hilton Lexington Downtown Hotel.

“Coal Combustion Products Utilization and Management:  A Practical Workshop” will include topics such as Introduction to Coal Combustion Ash Utilization; Coal Ash:  Beneficiation and Advanced Materials / Applications; Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD): Characteristics, Applications and Materials; Environmental Safety and Sustainable Construction; and Coal Combustion Products and Low Energy Concrete.

More information is available on the workshop’s website here.

Planning Under Way for 2013 World of Coal Ash

The fifth biennial meeting of the World of Coal Ash will be held April 22-25, 2013, in Lexington, Kentucky.

WOCA is an international conference organized by the American Coal Ash Association and the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research. It will again focus on the science, applications and sustainability of coal ash worldwide. As such, it will encompass all aspects of coal combustion products (CCPs) as well as gasification products.

A call for papers has been issued. The deadline for abstracts is November 1, 2012. Other information about the conference is available on the WOCA website, which will be updated frequently.

Case Studies Needed for November Recycled Materials Workshop

The Industrial Resources Council is planning a workshop for state highway department engineers on the use of recycled industrial materials in highway projects. The workshop, which is jointly sponsored by the IRC and the Federal Highway Administration, will be held November 27-29 in Indianapolis.

Exhibit space is available for interested parties. ACAA is also seeking case histories for presentation. If any ACAA member has a case study available, please contact ACAA Executive Director Thomas Adams at thadams@acaa-usa.org.

ACAA Members in the News

Charah, Inc., has announced the addition of two new employees and promotions for two others. Jason Sharpe joined Charah as Vice President of Operations. Most recently Mr. Sharpe was the Vice President of a leading ENR TOP 400 contractor focusing on heavy highway construction, FNF Construction, Inc., with the responsibility for their New Mexico construction operations. Brian Himes joined Charah as Business Development Manager. Mr. Himes has over twenty years of experience in construction management and estimating, most recently with Gulf Stream Construction in Charleston, South Carolina, where he worked primarily on DOT projects and the building of large, recreational facilities including the Nashville Superspeedway. Additionally, Nathan Boone, who has worked for Charah since 1997, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Business Development. Scott Sewell, who joined Charah in early 2008, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations.

CERATECH Inc's durable, high thermal resistant FIREROK™ cement for structural concrete was selected for the Royal Air Force's (RAF) V-22 Osprey aircraft's concrete hardstand and apron construction project at RAF Mildenhall, in Suffolk, England. The Osprey’s vertical takeoff demands concrete capable of withstanding 550 degrees F temperatures. Additional specifications called for long term resistance to hydraulic fluids and other hydrocarbons.
CERATECH’s coal ash-based cements are comprised of a dense crystalline structure that dramatically improves thermal resistance and durability in caustic and corrosive chemical environments.

Welcome New Members

Terracon Consultants Inc., an associate non-voting member, is a "national geotechnical/environmental consulting firm practicing in the design and construction of structures for utility, industrial, educational, mining and waste management companies." Please click here to visit the Terracon Consultants website. Chanc Moore will be ACAA’s primary point of contact from Terracon Consultant Inc., while Alain Gallet will serve as the alternate.

CETCO, an associate non-voting member, "manufactures various environmental containment and remediation products, including geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs), commonly used in containment systems for municipal solid waste landfills and coal combustion residual landfills." Please click here to visit CETCO's website. Chris Athanassopoulos will be ACAA’s primary point of contact from CETCO, while Rachel Holik will serve as the alternate.

The Phoenix was sent to you from the American Coal Ash Association: info@acaa-usa.org.
38800 Country Club Drive, Farmington Hills, MI  48331
Unsubscribe from the ACAA Phoenix Newsletter
Learn more about ACAA and coal combustion products, please visit: www.acaa-usa.org

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.