Senator Boxer's Statement on EPA's Coal Ash Rule

Washington, D.C. -- Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the E.P.A.'s (EPA) final rule for coal combustion waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Senator Boxer said: "Coal ash is so dangerous because it contains many toxins like mercury, arsenic, and lead. It should have been classified as hazardous waste, and then there would have been assurances to people living near those sites that they would be monitored and kept safe. Now E.P.A. has kept the burden on the states and the citizen activists who will go to court if something goes wrong, but E.P.A. has missed a critical opportunity to do the right thing here. Once again we are reminded of the high cost of coal, and that is another reason why we should be moving away from dirty energy."