EPA sets seven public hearings on coal ash

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced seven public hearings across the country for discussion of the proposals to regulate waste from coal-fired power plants. The first meeting is scheduled for Aug. 30 in Arlington, Va., and the last of the meetings is scheduled for Sept. 28 in Louisville, Ky. You can see the full list below and addresses for each of the hotels here:

• Aug. 30 -- Hyatt Regency Crystal City -- Arlington, Va.
• Sept. 2 -- Grand Hyatt -- Denver, Colo.
• Sept. 8 -- Hyatt Regency Dallas -- Dallas, Texas
• Sept. 14 -- Holiday Inn Charlotte (Airport) -- Charlotte, N.C.
• Sept. 16 -- Hilton Chicago -- Chicago, Ill.
• Sept. 21 -- Omni Hotel -- Pittsburgh, Penn.
• Sept. 28 -- Seelbach Hilton -- Louisville, Ky.

The Louisville date was added after the other six hearings were initially announced, which Tom FitzGerald of the Kentucky Resources Council said made sense "given the region’s many coal-fired power plants and the big issues that are at stake for the public and industry alike," James Bruggers of the Courier-Journal reports. The Army Corps of Engineers reports some 29 coal-fired plants are along the banks of the Ohio river. Bruggers notes that Kentucky is first and Indiana third in the production of coal ash. (Read more)