The
Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013, introduced by Rep. David
McKinley, overwhelmingly passed the U.S. House of Representatives
Thursday with bipartisan support by a vote of 265 to 155. The legislation
drew support from 39 Democrats.
“It’s
the highest number from the Democrats that we’ve had on this legislation
in two and a half years,” said Rep. McKinley.
McKinley believes
past opposition to the bill was due to lawmakers not truly understanding what
was in the legislation.
“It
has such complexities to it that I think maybe it confounds some members as to
what is trying to be accomplished here,” he said.
The
legislation would protect the recycling of coal ash and give states the
authority to set their own standards for the disposal of fly ash with oversight
by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) while protecting human health and
the environment.
Coal
ash is a coal combustion byproduct that poses environmental threats when
put in landfills but is also commonly recycled for use in cement, concrete and
other products.
The
legislation would also require installation of groundwater monitoring
at all structures containing coal ash and set deadlines for meeting groundwater
protection standards. Companies with impoundments that leak would
have up to 10 years to fix the problem. If companies fail to do so,
McKinley said the outcome is simple.
“If
they are endangering the human health and the environment, they have to close,”
he said.
Despite
voicing concerns over some aspects of the bill, the White House did not issue a
veto threat as it often does with GOP environmental bills.
McKinley
said he and fellow bill supporters held numerous meetings and discussions with
EPA and other stakeholders getting feedback about the bill. All the feedback
was then put into this bill and as a result, McKinley believes it’s a wonderful
example of compromise.
“I
think we’ve got something that is far reaching and it will have a profound
affect and I think because of that has a greater chance of being
considered in the Senate than in the past,” he said.
Even
with bipartisan support in the House, McKinley said there is still a
lot more work to do.
