A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general criticizes the department’s cheery depiction of coal ash on an agency website.
The degree of toxicity of coal ash, a byproduct of coal-fired electric plants, is hotly debated. But leading authorities say that, in large amounts, it can be harmful to wildlife and humans. Coal ash contains arsenic, mercury and other toxic substances.
The EPA website in question appeared to endorse the use of coal ash in, for instance, road embankments, and does not mention that the EPA considers such uses potentially hazardous. The website, which is dedicated to “coal combustion products partnerships,” is still up, but the offending content has been removed.
The inspector general’s report objected to the page’s tacit support of the uses of coal ash, saying, “Such an endorsement is prohibited by EPA ethics policies and communications guidelines.”
As noted by the Center for Public Integrity, the report comes amid efforts by the EPA to finalize regulations governing the use of coal ash. One of the new rules proposed by the EPA is based on the concern that coal ash, if not contained, can leak heavy metals into ground water, thereby posing a threat to human health.
The recent impetus for the new regulations was a disastrous 2008 spill of coal ash on the Emory River in East Tennessee, which covered the waterway with more than 5.4 million cubic yards of sludge.
The inspector general report recommended that the EPA investigate why the language contradicting agency policy was posted on the website, and take action to prevent it from happening again.
In its response to the report, the EPA accepted most of the inspector’s general’s criticism.
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