Obama administration to keep secret 44 coal ash sites that pose threat to people nearby

New York Newsday / The Associated Press ^ | June 12, 2009 | Dina Cappiello

[2ndDivisionVet]

The Obama administration has decided to keep secret the locations of nearly four dozen coal ash storage sites that pose a threat to people living nearby.

The Environmental Protection Agency classified the 44 sites as potential hazards to communities while investigating coal ash waste storage sites after a spill at a Tennessee power plant in December. The classification means the waste sites could cause death and significant property damage if an event such as a storm, a terrorist attack or a structural failure caused them to leak into surrounding communities.

The sites have existed for years with little or no federal regulation.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Now just imagine either President Bush, Reagan or ANY other Republican administration doing this: You'd never hear the end of it. Bet this won't have any legs at all...

[Bean Counter]

ashes, shmashes...if these were old Prisoner photos the Democrats would be chomping at the bit to reveal them...

[Ancient Drive]

If any Conservative President had done this, you would be hearing investigation panels and congress inquiries by the dozen.

[Dilbert San Diego]

And what about transparency, and their penchant for disclosing classified information about terrorist detainees???

What about this Barack? Isn’t this an example of YOUR administration not living up to our highest ideals?????

[Clarence]

that’s pretty “transparent” isn’t it? ;-)

[BenLurkin]

This he keeps secret but our nuclear fuel depots he publishes on the Internet!

[DJ MacWoW]

What?

Coal Ash Research Center

1993 EPA issued its final regulatory determination and continued to exempt coal ash from regulation as hazardous waste.

[DJ MacWoW]

So what is Newsday and the AP talking about?

Coal Ash Utilization

The environmental compatibility, abundance, availability, and economy of CCBs translate into benefits for industry. Industries benefit through significant cost savings without sacrificing product quality. In fact, the properties of CCBs are such that, in many applications, they improve the product. In engineering construction materials, coal ash can add value and enhance strength and durability while reducing cost. In agricultural applications, gypsum-rich products can provide plant nutrients and improve the tilth of depleted soils over large areas of the country. In waste stabilization, the cementitious and pozzolanic properties of these products can immobilize hazardous nuclear, organic, and toxic metal wastes for safe and effective environmental disposal.

[SandRat]

What happened to the ‘O’BOZO promise of transparancy? Oh.. that was ‘OBOZinno talking.

[Constitution Day]

Someone should file a FOIA request.

[FrogBurger]

Coal ashes are a significant source of radioactivity. See http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html.

[DJ MacWoW]

See post 8.

[blueplum]

Figure 1 displays the frequency
distribution of uranium concentration for approximately
2,000 coal samples from the Western United States and
approximately 300 coals from the Illinois Basin. In the
majority of samples, concentrations of uranium fall in
the range from slightly below 1 to 4 parts per million
(ppm). Similar uranium concentrations are found in a variety
of common rocks and soils, as indicated in figure 2.
Coals with more than 20 ppm uranium are rare in the United
States. Thorium concentrations in coal fall within a similar
1–4 ppm range, compared to an average crustal abundance
of approximately 10 ppm. Coals with more than 20 ppm
thorium are extremely rare.
http://acaa.affiniscape.com/associations/8003/files/FS-163-97.pdf

also see
http://acaa.affiniscape.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=5#Q9

Studies conducted by the University of North Dakota indicate that for most heavy metals, even if released directly into groundwater, the concentrations are so low that they would not adversely affect drinking water quality. A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) fact sheet states that a “Standardized test of the leach ability of toxic trace elements such as arsenic, selenium, lead and mercury from fly ash shows that the amounts dissolved are sufficiently low to justify regulatory classification of fly ash as non-hazardous solid waste.”

[DJ MacWoW]

Thanks. Hubby remembers the ash being used to pave driveways when we were kids. One has to wonder what in the world is going on here. Unless they made slurry out of it to store it. That could be a problem.

Coal Ash Slurry Pond Bursts in Tennessee

[RedwM]

I wish someone would’ve told us that here in the hardcoal region, we could’ve bottled it.