New Coal Ash Rules Thrill Utility Companies But Threaten Human Health

Coal ash is one of those untaxed externalities that allows companies that burn coal to avoid the cost of cleaning up the mess they have made of the Earth. Fossil fuel apologists like Lee Zeldin, the failed former NY politician who is now head of the EPA, and Chris Wright, the fracking czar who heads the Energy Department, like to scream about what a fabulous job fossil fuels — especially coal — have done in building today’s economy.

And they are correct. For the past century, fossil fuels have brought the blessings of modern technology to billions of people. Highways and bridges, airplanes and ships, railroads and the built infrastructure would not have been possible without them. Once, DDT did a great job of killing pests so crops could grow and Freon was instrumental in bringing air conditioning to homes and businesses, but they also had harmful effects on human health and the environment. Substitutes for both were found that were more eco-friendly.

Today, humanity is blessed with new forms of energy — wind, solar, and geothermal — that have nearly zero emissions and cost less that thermal generation using coal, oil, or methane. But the failed US administration insists on bailing out the fossil fuel sector, which has been squirming like a worm on a hook for decades, trying to find a way to avoid paying for the damage they have done will bringing the wonders of cheap energy to the world. Utility companies that burned coal have been storing the combustion residue — known as coal ash — for decades because it is so toxic, it cannot be transported safely.

Coal Ash Is Deadly

What exactly is in coal ash? Wikipedia has the answer. In addition to fine particulates that can cross directly into the bloodstream in human lungs, coal ash contains the following toxins:

• Lead: The direct exposure to lead can cause major damage to the nervous system. Lead exposure can lead to kidney disease, hearing impairment, high blood pressure, delays in development, swelling of the brain, hemoglobin damage, and male reproductive problems. Both low levels and high levels of lead exposure can cause harm to the human body.
• Cadmium: The direct exposure to high levels of cadmium is hazardous to the health. More specifically, the lungs directly absorb cadmium into the bloodstream. When humans are exposed to cadmium over a long period of time, kidney disease and lung disease can occur. In addition, cadmium exposure can be associated with hypertension. Lastly, chronic exposure of cadmium can cause bone weakness which increases the risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis.
• Chromium: The direct exposure to chromium (VI) is hazardous to health. High levels of chromium (VI) in drinking water can cause ulcers in the small intestine and stomach when ingested. Lastly, skin ulcers can also occur when the exposure to chromium (VI) occurs through the skin.
• Arsenic: When high amounts of arsenic is inhaled or ingested through coal ash waste, diseases such as bladder cancer, skin cancer, kidney cancer and lung cancer can develop. Ultimately, exposure to arsenic over a long period of time can cause mortality. Furthermore, low levels of arsenic exposure can cause irregular heartbeats, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, peripheral neuropathy and vision impairment.
• Mercury: Chronic exposure of mercury from coal ash can cause harm to the nervous system. When mercury is inhaled or ingested various health effects can occur such as vision impairment, seizures, numbness, memory loss and sleeplessness.
• Boron: When coal ash dust is inhaled, the exposure of boron can cause discomfort in the throat, nose and eyes. Moreover, when coal ash waste is ingested, boron exposure can be associated with kidney, liver, brain, and intestine impairment.
• Molybdenum: When molybdenum is inhaled from coal ash dust, discomfort of the nose, throat, skin and eye can occur. As a result, short-term molybdenum exposure can cause an increase of wheezing and coughing. Furthermore, chronic exposure of molybdenum can cause loss of appetite, tiredness, headaches and muscle soreness.
• Thallium: The exposure of thallium in coal ash dust can cause peripheral neuropathy when inhaled. Furthermore, when coal ash is ingested, thallium exposure can cause diarrhea and vomiting. In addition, thallium exposure is also associated with heart, liver, lung and kidney complications.
• Silica: When silica is inhaled from coal ash dust, fetal lung disease or silicosis can develop Furthermore, chronic exposure of silica can cause lung cancer. In addition, exposure to silica over a period of time can cause loss of appetite, poor oxygen circulation, breathing complications and fever.

So, how much coal ash do you want in your food, your water, or your air? If you are Lee Zeldin, you think the correct answer is “more than we have now.” This is the result of the “government is bad” lie that radicals have  been promoting since Ronnie Rayguns was in office.

According to TruthOut, in January of this year, a coalition of utility companies sent a letter to Zeldin imploring him to relieve them of the burden of cleaning up their coal ash deposits. “The new Administration should decline to defend these unlawful rules and should seek their immediate rescission,” they wrote. “Swift action by the incoming…..Administration is needed to reverse EPA’s regulatory overreach and to support critical energy production and development at U.S. power plants.” One of the signatures on that letter was a senior vice president of Duke Energy.

Government overreach in this instance means forcing utilities to clean up their mess, which will take cubic yards of dollars. Is racism a component of this political contretemps? You decide. A 2019 report by the NAACP found that although Black people comprise just 15% of the national population, 78% live within 30 miles of a coal fired generating station. In Kentucky, 86% of coal ash storage is  located in low income communities, communities of color, or both. Nothing says white power like placing the burdens of an industrial economy on the shoulders of those with the least political power.

Fighting Back

Environmental advocates think they will be successful in fighting the roll back of coal ash rules and regulations. “Trump tried and failed to bail out the coal industry during his first term in office,” wrote Christy Walsh, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, in a blog post. “Given the realities of the market, whatever he tries to do this time should fail as well… Instead of trying to prop up the fuels of the last century, this administration should be working to build the grid needed for the 21st century.”

Walsh is 100% correct, of course, but her optimism may be misplaced. The Supreme Court has shown no interest in reining in the worst abuses of this fascist administration. In fact, a majority of the so-called justices were suckled  by the same ideologues who crafted the hate filled Project 2025. Both the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation were bankrolled by Charles Koch, the architect of the “government is the problem” hysteria, which means destroying the planet and every living thing on it in the name of fossil fuel profits.

Imagine you own a septic system pumping service. It costs money to empty your trucks at the end of the day, so you back them up to your neighbor’s property, open the valves, and let the effluent flow out. That’s equivalent to what these utilities want to do. If you are okay with that, then you should love the plan to roll back the coal ash rules. But if you are not okay with it, this might be a good time to speak up and let your elected representatives know how you feel.