[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13361]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 H.R. 1734--IMPROVING COAL COMBUSTION RESIDUALS REGULATION ACT OF 2015

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 29, 2015

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, last week, I voted against H.R. 1734, 
the Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act of 2015. This 
dangerous and unnecessary legislation not only fails to improve coal 
ash regulation, it seriously undermines the EPA's efforts to regulate 
coal combustion waste to protect human health and the environment.
  Coal ash, the waste produced from the burning of coal, contains toxic 
materials such as arsenic, lead and chromium. According to the EPA, in 
2012, coal-fired power plants in the U.S. generated 110 million tons of 
coal ash. The improper or unsafe disposal of coal ash can lead to 
catastrophic releases of toxins if a failure occurs at the disposal 
site or, as is more commonly the case, contaminants slowly leach into 
groundwater and drinking water sources. We have known for some time of 
the need to regulate the disposal of coal ash and after several years, 
extensive consultation, and over 450,000 public comments, the EPA 
published a final, comprehensive rule to establish national criteria 
for the disposal of coal ash on April 17, 2015.
  H.R. 1734 is an attempt to gut the EPA's final rule before it even 
has the chance to go into effect. The bill would eliminate restrictions 
for how close existing surface impoundments can be to drinking water 
sources and would eliminate liner requirements for existing surface 
impoundments. It authorizes states to implement coal ash management 
permitting programs, but these programs do not need to meet national 
standards. In short, it eliminates, delays or weakens environmental 
protections and threatens health and public safety.
  There is no greater public need than access to clean and safe 
drinking water. I strongly oppose this legislation because it undercuts 
national protections and undoes important regulations to safeguard 
drinking water sources. We must use our legislative prerogative to 
protect public health and safety and not in a manner that poses risks 
to our communities and our environment as H.R. 1734 would do.

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