Crackdown on coal ash

he crazy quilt of regulations governing coal ash disposal across the United States got a new patch this week when North Carolina lawmakers passed a law requiring stricter regulation of coal ash impoundments, the giant lagoons where utility companies store the nearly 6 million pounds of toxic combustion waste generated each year at electric power plants. The state House passed the bill on Wednesday. Already approved by the state Senate, it now goes to Gov. Beverly Perdue (D) for her signature. Despite the requests of environmental advocates, the federal government still does not regulate coal ash as hazardous waste, leaving oversight largely up to the states. However, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson has said she will propose a regulation by year's end. As we reported earlier this week, Gov. Perdue already endorsed the legislation, which was championed by state Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Guilford County Democrat.