Stories

As the federal government weighs stricter rules governing the disposal of coal ash, and as awareness of the potential dangers in Iowa continues to increase, it is important to note that while health risks are a major concern, there are many others that must be considered.

Protective liners, locations restrictions and groundwater monitoring are just a few of the regulations Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources would like to see implemented by the federal government in regard to coal ash disposal. But environmentalists believe if federal officials follow Iowa’s suggestions, the public will still be at risk for contaminated groundwater supplies.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama understands the danger of coal ash and will act to protect the public health when it issues new regulations on the toxic waste by year’s end, Gov. Chet Culver said Thursday, expecting that “there will be some changes” down the road.

Officials at Iowa State University will meet with the owners of the site where its toxic coal ash is dumped to discuss possible public health dangers, a move that could lead the school to weigh “the ramifications of changing” its dumping policy.

Jeffrey Witt, assistant director of utilities for Iowa State University, said since new information has come to light, “it was time to touch base again” with the owners of the unlined, unmonitored dump.

Environmental advocates say that a failure of federal regulators to act poses a threat to public health.

People who live near sites used to store ash or sludge from coal-fired power plants have a one in 50 chance of developing cancer, according to a just released government report kept from the public for seven years by the Bush Administration.

After decades of pressure, the EPA has pledged to begin regulating coal ash, the toxic byproduct of coal-burning power plants. But local advocates worry that new federal regulations won’t address Iowa’s unsecured, unmonitored ash dumps.

Iowa’s regulations for dumping coal ash — the toxic by-product of coal-burning power plants — are so lax that the state has become a “destination” for dumpers from other states, experts say.