"I'm Not Sure Whether We'll Hear It" - TN Legislator On Proposal To Tighten Coal Ash Safety Laws

[hatrack]

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Currently, power companies are only required to file reports by private engineers with the Public Utilities Commission every five years. A 2007 report on the Dan River steam station found that a recommended but voluntary regimen of annual inspections had not been followed since 2001. A follow-up report in 2009 told regulators that “a potentially serious seepage problem” had been addressed.

Harrison’s bill would also tighten other regulations on how coal ash and other by-products are used in manufacturing concrete and other construction products or as fill material for roadbeds and large landscaping projects. It would also restrict the construction of new coal ash ponds. “The bill is a thinly veiled attempt to shut down coal-fired power plants by taking away the ability to store coal combustion products,” said Scott Sutton, an environmental communication specialist for Progress Energy. “We don’t believe there is support in the General Assembly for legislation that raises consumer costs, jeopardizes reliability and hampers utilities’ ability to meet emission standards.”

Sutton said if storing the byproducts of building coal became more expensive or impossible, it would ultimately increase the rates people paid for electricity. Although Harrison has sponsored other legislation that would restrict what kind of coal the industry could use and would curtail the construction of new coal-fired plants, she said her intent was not to regulate them out of existence. “That’s crazy,” Harrison said. “That’s not it at all. It’s entirely a public health and environmental issue for me.” Duke spokesman Jason Walls was more circumspect in his evaluation of the bill. “We are aware of the bill, and our internal experts continue to review it,” he said. “It’s still early in the legislative process.”

That process may be slow. The bill is assigned to the House Public Utilities Committee but has no hearing date set. “I’m not sure whether we’ll hear it or not,” said Rep. Lorene Coates, a Salisbury Democrat and the committee chairwoman.

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http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/04/26/article/coal_ash_regulation_bill_faces_opposition