"Federal Coal Ash Regulations Take Effect"

"WASHINGTON — The gooey, grayish-black sludge that spread across Roane County in East Tennessee on a bitterly cold December morning is gone, but the fallout from the nation's worst coal-ash spill enters a new phase on Monday when the federal government begins regulating the storage and disposal of ash from coal-fired power plants.

Effective immediately, utilities will be required to put in place a plan to control "fugitive" dust, or ash that blows away while it's being transported or stored and could possibly end up in streams. Within 30 days, those dust-control plans must be posted online so they are available for review by the public.

Utilities must immediately begin inspections of coal-ash storage ponds and landfills and post the results of those inspections online as well. Storage sites under construction will have to meet new design standards that require safeguards such as liners and restrict how close they can be located to groundwater tables, seismic zones, flood plains and unstable areas such as sinkholes."

Michael Collins reports for the Commercial Appeal October 18, 2015.