State Refutes CCW Report

摘要

In response to a report on coal ash disposal issued by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and the Sierra Club, the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued an explanation of historical groundwater contamination near the Big Stone power plant in eastern South Dakota.rnIn their report, EIP/Sierra Club pro-vide their results of groundwater impacts at 39 sites in 21 states where coal combustion wastes (CCWs) are disposed in landfills and impoundments.rnAccording to the report, groundwater near each of these sites contains heavy metals, such as arsenic and lead, which exceed federal health-based standards for drinking water. The report alleges that state government regulation of CCW disposal is inade-quate, and a federal standard is needed. U.S. EPA has proposed a regulation for the disposal of CCWs at electric power plants; the EIP/ Sierra Club report is intended to support that rulemaking.