Coal ash management; prohibits construction of any landfill or impoundment for storage. (SB1743)

Introduced By

Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Midlothian)

Description

Coal ash management. Prohibits the construction of any landfill or impoundment for the storage of coal combustion residuals located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, defined in the bill as a CCR unit, beginning July 1, 2020, and requires the closure of all existing CCR units by 2023. The bill requires the owner of a CCR unit to meet detailed requirements and timelines regarding (i) the submission of closure plans to the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department); (ii) the review and approval of such plans by the Department, and the further approval of such plans by the Virginia Waste Management Board (the Board); (iii) the monitoring, assessment, and restoration of groundwater, including the submission and approval by the Department of plans for assessment and corrective action, the implementation of a restoration plan, and the monitoring of wells; (iv) the identification, assessment, and correction of unpermitted discharges, including the submission and approval by the Department of plans for discharge assessment and corrective action; (v) and the submission of quarterly reports to the Department, reports to General Assembly members who have CCR units in their districts, and other reports. The bill authorizes the Board to establish a regulatory fee to pay the expenses of the Board and the Department in providing CCR oversight. The bill directs each owner of CCR to identify, by 2020, two or more CCR units that contain CCR that is suitable for recycling as supplementary cementitious material in concrete. The bill directs the Department to require the owner of such CCR units to enter into contracts to supply at least 600,000 tons of coal ash per year from such CCR units to a CCR beneficiation plant, and to install and operate such a plant. The bill requires the operation of the plant to begin within two years of the issuance of the final permit required. Read the Bill »

Outcome

History