The EPA recently released a list of over 40 “high hazard potential” sites around the country that contain coal combustion residuals, commonly referred to as coal ash. This substance is a product of burning coal and is often stored in containment ponds or dams near electrical utilities. As coal ash leaches into the soil and spills into areas surrounding these facilities, there can be serious ramifications on human health and the environment. These storage ponds hold fly ash, bottom ash, coal slag, and flue gas residues that contain toxic metals such as mercury, arsenic, selenium, cadmium, and lead—all potentially toxic to people and wildlife.
Due to several recent coal ash spills, the EPA and other federal regulatory agencies are cracking down on the assessment, maintenance, and clean up of coal ash storage ponds in the U.S. These agencies will review the information provided by the facilities to identify issues that need priority attention, and will also visit many of these facilities to see if the management units are structurally sound. The top five states that are home to these “high hazard potential” sites include: North Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Although the risks associated with hazardous coal ash sites can be devastating to the communities surrounding them, this is an opportunity for our government to take a more active role in making sure electrical (and other energy) utility sites are operating responsibly. This is also an opportunity for you to assist your clients—those who operate energy utilities as well as contractors who may be hired to clean them up—and make sure they have adequate environmental insurance. Take this opportunity to help your clients protect themselves from a potentially disastrous financial loss and secure the future of their businesses and workforces.
Contact Beacon Hill Associates, Inc. today for more information and applications.
