Coal-ash dump sites are unmonitored, unregulated

In wake of the coal-ash pond breach in East Tennessee last month (Associated Press photo), The New York Times reports that many of 1,300 similar dump sites in the U.S. remain unregulated and unmonitored. The sites contain toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury and selenium, which according to the Environmental Protection Agency threaten both water supplies and human health, and are not subject to any federal regulation.

The coal industry has even been seeking "beneficial uses" for coal ash as a means of dealing with the huge quantities of waste from burning coal. "In 2007, according to a coal industry estimate, 50 tons of fly ash even went to agricultural uses, like improving soil’s ability to hold water, despite a 1999 EPA warning about high levels of arsenic, writes the Times' Shaila Dewan. "The industry has promoted the reuse of coal combustion products because of the growing amount of them being produced each year — 131 million tons in 2007, up from less than 90 million tons in 1990."

There have been numerous reports of water contamination from coal-ash dumps across the country. "In 2007, an EPA report identified 63 sites in 26 states where the water was contaminated by heavy metals from such dumps, including three other Tennessee Valley Authority dumps," adds Dewan. "Environmental advocacy groups have submitted at least 17 additional cases that they say should be added to that list." (Read more)