HERE THEY COME. the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently rejected requests from energy facilities to dump coal ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power plants, into unlined surface impoundments. This new call for action exposes a simple truth, a reset is needed for all Stakeholders, not just Utilities It is not just the Utilities that [...]
Waste management refers to the various schemes to manage and dispose of wastes. It can be by discarding, destroying, processing, recycling, reusing, or controlling wastes. The prime objective of waste management is to reduce the amount of unusable materials and to avert potential health and environmental hazards. As simple as that explanation sounds let’s [...]
The main issue with coal ash across the country is proper storage. With decades of improper storage and a limited regulatory timeline to correct, Utilities are left trying to figure out how to properly store millions of tons of coal ash to allow for future beneficiation. Good news! The tools have already been developed: [...]
Despite recycling and Zero Waste initiatives across the county, the volume of waste generated hasn’t decreased to the point where we see reduced demand on airspace or an offset in the growing costs of proper disposal. So WASTE and LANDFILLS are a certainly for the foreseeable future. Zero Waste initiatives – where, ideally, 100% [...]
Although many environmental organizations state or are under the impression that they are utilizing Best Use Practices, but in reality, they are not. The debate over landfills and landfill expansions has gone on for decades and will continue well into the future. The opponents argue that landfills are unsafe, unhealthy and a public nuisance [...]
“1 + 1 = 3” is a concept of obtaining greater success by solving two traditional environmental problems at the same time, the combination results in higher success than individual projects. For example, expanding a landfill by building an eMSE berm utilizing beneficial use fill from a remediation project. Project 1: Expansion + Project 2: [...]
It takes a village to solve the looming CCR storage issue. In all discussions of coal ash disposition — either through beneficial reuse or keeping it intact but contained — the overriding concern is safety. The cap-in-place solution has been solidly debunked from a safety standpoint. The market for beneficial use of coal ash [...]
It is all about BUILDING safe, adequate, and economical STORAGE. There is too much coal ash and not enough existing space (landfills) to properly store this waste. Utilities must develop different approaches to comply with ever-changing regulations. Now is the time to find relief to this issue; time is wasting away. Beneficiation has provided some [...]
During an episode of “The West Wing,” President Bartlet said at different points to Charlie and Sam to “see the whole board.” In the first instance, he referred to a real chessboard. In the second, the deployment of naval resources around the globe. In both cases, he was pushing his staff to step back [...]
When does it pay to do more than the minimum? In a previous blog, I discussed the importance of doing more than the minimum requirements stated in regulatory documents. From an environmental standpoint, it always pays off to go the extra mile. Financially, applying additional safeguards can be expensive. Additionally, the current regulatory framework does [...]
